Evolution
by TheManThatWalksTheAbyss115
Summary: Hunters won the 5 day battle of shear effectively pushing the monsters to extinction. When a Goliath and his siblings are out of hiding places they end up meeting their end. But fate decided they never had a chance at life like they should have and are given another chance on a new world. Hold family close to you, because you're never with them forever. Faunus monsters au.
1. Chapter 1

**Evolution**

 **Now I know what you all are thinking. Why are you writing another fanfiction when you just started, the answer is I have more ideas for this story more than I do for my other one. Another reason is because I somewhat enjoy Evolve a little more than I do Gears of War. Yet another reason is because I need something to focus on this summer, plus I wanted to get something pumped out before I begin my finals. With out further adieu let's roll on with the story.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Evolve or RWBY**

* * *

Prologue

A bloody figure is seen running through the forest of shear. No sense of direction or care where it was heading, it just had to get away from the danger that was tailing it for the past hour. The figure jumped onto a nearby rock and climbed it and ran into a section that was covered in thick bushes. As the figure crouched and made its body close to the ground it could hear the voices that was tailing it.

"Dammit Hyde! If you hadn't scared it we would have gathered more data on them!" a brunette haired woman with a ponytail screamed.

"Well it ain't my fault the Goliath looked like it was about to attack us, so how was I supposed to know it was giving us a warning?" said a muscular man in a tank top and a mechanical arm.

"It literally kept backing away from us while growling and was hiding something behind its legs. God, the one chance we can study these things without it attacking us and what do you do? You charge in like some maniac." she said clearly fuming at the thought of actually studying a live specimen without getting attacked.

"Look darlin, I know you want to do all your weird science shit but we are literally here to kill them. Plus you have the bodies isn't that enough?" a man with a long beard stated.

"No! It's not. This was our one chance to study a savage skin Goliath that seemed somewhat docile and Hide over here manages to scare it off because he wanted to face to face with it." she said irritated at the fact that a milestone in the study of the monsters was ruined all because someone wanted to see who had the hottest flame.

"Look Caira, I know you're irritated at the big oaf over here. But it's over now and you can't do anything about it, so let's just kill the thing and meet up with the rest of the crew so we can get out of here." An older looking man in a hat with teeth surrounding it said. After a few deep breaths Caira began to calm down and load up her grenade launcher with healing grenades to heal her teammates in case they went down. Little did the hunters know the said figure was peering through the bushes and watching them leave in the fake tracks that it had left behind. The Goliath stepped out of the bushes with discomfort as the branches grazed his cuts and stood to his full height of 67 feet. His skin was a mixture of black with red streaks in it going from his snout down to the tip of his tail. His eyes glowed an deep shade of orange like magma to a volcano. Spikes can be seen running along the upper portion of his back and ending near the middle while the tail had sharp barbs sticking out of it like a medieval mace. The Goliath's thin tongue came out of his mouth to lick his lower mandibles, cleaning them of any residue blood. The Goliath rushed off to a nearby cave that he had found a few months ago hoping that the hunters didn't get there before he did.

As the Goliath entered the cave he felt himself stumble a bit as the force of two individuals crashed into his legs. Looking down he saw what was the cause of that force and caused him to chuckle internally. On his left leg he saw a smaller version of stage one Kraken gazing up at him and was trying to wrestle him down to the ground but couldn't do so as it didn't have the strength to do so. On his right leg he saw a smaller version of a stage one Wraith trying to do the same and wrestle him down to the ground using its 'tails' to try to trip him only to have the same results as the Kraken.

 **"And what do you two think you're doing?"** the Goliath merely said with amusement in his voice staring down at his siblings.

" **Ken and I wanted to see who could knock you down first."** said the Wraith as she floated around her big brother's leg looking up at him.

 **"Yeah! So Rei and I made a bet to see who was the strongest out of the two of us."** said the Kraken in an excited voice as he tried to levitate up to his brother's head only to give up once he got his waist as his wings weren't that strong yet.

 **"What would that bet be then?"** asked the Goliath wanting to know what the siblings wagered this time, it seems every time they make a bet it always seemed to involve who would get more food or who got to stay up later.

 **"Well... it involves you getting us something."** Ken said while tapping his claws together. Usually when Ken tapped his claws together it meant that he wants something that is damn near impossible to get or will end up getting you hurt.

 **"Is it hard to get?"** The Goliath asked.

 **"U-um would going to the power plant be considered hard"** Rei asked a little nervous knowing that her older brother warned them about that place and to never go there when he's out hunting.

 **"What's there that you could possibly want that requires me to risk my ass to get?"** The two younger siblings flinched at the use of his language, for some odd reason to the Goliath they always wanted him to watch his language.

 **"W-well there's this thing that we threw over there when we were playing and we really want it back and we didn't want to go over there because you told us not to and the humans were out there."** Ken said

 **"Is it that shiny rock that you found near the dam"** The Goliath asked, already knowing what the object that Rei and Ken liked so much for some reason. Personally he found the damn thing useless because all it did was glow.

 **"Yeah but I mean you don't have to if you don't want to..."** Ken said with his head down a little knowing that his brother just got back and probably wanted to sleep a little before going out hunting.

 **"No it's fine, It'll only take me a few minutes to get. But when I get back I want you two in bed got it?"** he stated sternly at his younger siblings who nodded and went to the back of the cave to their bed.

 **"Alright, I'll see you two in a minute."** the Goliath said as he was walking out of the cave.

 **"Okay. Bye Ares!"** the siblings stated in unison as they watched their older brother walk out of the cave to go find their special rock that they cared about.

* * *

Ares was walking towards the dam to where the rock was located before quickly spotting it under a dead colonist. He just strode over before picking up the dead human and tossing it behind him and grabbing the rock. As he picked up the rock he felt something impact his back before quickly turning around to see what hit him. Not even 35 feet away was the four hunters that had been pursuing him for the past couple of hours. Not bothering to fight them he just looked at them and tried to walk past them only to feel something sharp pierce his left arm. Looking back he found what was piercing him, the tracker with the harpoon just stared at him in confusion as to why he wasn't trying to attack him. Ares just huffed in annoyance as he ripped the sharp projectile out of his arm grimacing in pain as the metal tore muscle and armor out of him. As he was walking he notice that the hunter were following him, so he picked up a rock and threw it in their direction but not directly at them. As the hunters dodged the rock they began to ponder as to why this Goliath was so docile while the rest were aggressive.

"Does anyone notice something off with this Goliath?" asked Caira confused.

"Yeah, it's like it doesn't want to fight. Maybe it's tired?" asked Griffin pondering as why this one didn't seem to care for their presence.

"Maybe it has something to do with that transporter beacon in its hand." stated Hank as he looked in Ares' hand and found a beacon.

"Who cares what's wrong with it. Just probably means it's weaker than the rest, let's kill it." Hyde grinned as he charged Ares who looked like he wasn't paying attention.

"Hyde no!" Caira screamed as she saw the flame throwing madman charge the docile Goliath. Only to see that the Goliath smack Hide with its tail and pin him to a wall and walking up to him. The rest of the hunters were about to jump into action until they say the Goliath bite Hide's mechanical hand and crush it before letting him hit the ground with a loud thud.

"What the fuck! He broke my favorite arm!" Hyde screamed in fury seeing that his favorite arm was in pieces. He glared at the Goliath and it glared at him back with equal contempt before turning and begin to walk away again. The rest of the hunters just stared in shock as they witnessed someone stare face to face with a stage 3 Goliath and live relatively unharmed.

"I'll kill that fucker's family if he has one." Hyde muttered under his breath which caused Ares to stop dead in his tracks. The hunters just stared confused as to why the Goliath stopped, only to gasp as flames began to pour out of his mouth and slowly turn around to glare at Hyde. As Ares was about to charge at the downed man he stopped when he heard a familiar noise resonate throughout the forest making dash towards the cave. The hunters snapped out of their stupor and began to follow him wondering what prompted him to dash off like that.

* * *

As Ares ran through the forest breaking trees along the way he heard something that made him book it even faster.

 **"AHHHHHHHH! ARES HELP!"** screamed Rei

Going faster and faster until he reached the cave he saw something that made his blood boil to a molten core. Four hunters were pinning Ken and Rei to the back corners of the cave and pointed their weapons at them. The one with the trap-jaw seemed to be the one leading the group judging by the way she carried herself. Anger clouded his mind as he charged forward barreling right into the trap-jaw as it was leaping for Ken ready to tear his throat out. While the trap-jaw was on the ground Ares stomped over to it ready to tear it apart with his claws until he felt multiple harpoons pierce into his flesh, roaring in pain he ripped them out of his body before turning his attention to the tracker. He was on her in the blink of an eye and picked her up, raised her above his head and slammed her onto the cave floor. Before he could finish her off a sniper round impacted the back of his head forcing him to look up and glare at the medic as she fire another round. While the medic shot at him the trapper got back up to her feet and started to unload her smg into him forcing him to back up and take cover behind a nearby rock.

While he was back behind the rock he took notice that the assault and support started making their way over to Rei and Ken that were hiding behind their be made out of the fur of various wildlife. Not worrying about his own safety he charged forward and slammed his tail into the stomachs of the assault and support drawing a crack of bones from the latter and knocking to former into a pile of bones. While he was fighting the team of hunters Caira and her team walked into the cave and saw what was going on forcing them to enter the fight against the Goliath. Ares began to tire as rounds of sniper, napalm, and plasma impacted his body forcing him onto a knee and cough up blood. Caira noticed the two younger monsters hiding behind the fur bed and fired a round of napalm at them, only for it to be blocked by a wounded Ares who snarled at her. Upon this action Caira came to a realization. The Goliath wasn't weak or a coward for running from them, he was protecting the younger ones from harm.

"Guys wait!" she shouted getting the attention of the others who looked at her in confusion.

"What? Why did you shout for us to stop?" asked Maggie as she stopped firing at Ares to look at Caira.

"What do you notice about the Goliath we're fighting?" Caira asked.

"That it's a savage skinned?" asked Hyde still pissed that he couldn't melt its face with his flamethrower.

"No shit Hyde but that's besides the point. Look behind it." Caira stated as she looked behind the Goliath at the two younger monsters that were hiding from behind its leg.

"So the buggers can have kids eh?" Griffin said. Ares growled at them as if stating they were his siblings.

"I don't think their its kids Griffin." Caira stated as she tried to get a closer look, only for the two to recede further behind his legs and Ares to snarl at them in warning.

"Kids or not. This thing is still a threat and we need to bring it down." Maggie said reloading her smg while Daisy stretched out her limbs. Seeing that he was wounded and there were eight hunters standing before him and his siblings, Ares did the last thing on any monsters mind... he took his siblings and ran. While he was running he made sure to create as much debris between him and the hunters to slow them down which only proved futile since they used their jet packs to fly over it. He headed the last place any monster would want to be when fleeing... the dam. The reason for that being he could lose them there due to the huge drop that contained some of the more hostile species of wildlife on the planet. Going down there would be considered suicide for any human, hunter or not. With his siblings on his back hanging onto his spikes and the transporter beacon in his hand he headed for the dam ignoring all the smaller wildlife that tried to attack him and his siblings.

Finally reaching the dam and facing the drop he turned around to take a napalm grenade to the chest to avoid it from harming his siblings. The eight hunters stared at the monsters with mixed expressions ranging from disgust and hate to pity and sympathy. Not risking them take his family's life he jumped for a faraway cliff and was about to make it only for him to take a slug from Cabot's rail gun to the arm throwing him off course and making him smack into the side of the cliff. Just before he could climb up Val's sniper round impacted the beacon in his right hand making it spark and sputter before electrocuting him and his siblings forcing him to let go of the side of the cliff and plummet down into the drop.

* * *

As everyone looked down the drop that the Goliath and its siblings fell down they couldn't feel anything but satisfaction as the last of the monster species was killed off. The crew began to walk towards the ship except one person who stared down the drop in sadness. Caira stared down the drop with tears threatening to leave her eyes as three perfectly docile monsters were wrongfully put to their deaths. She was snapped out of her thoughts as she heard Cabot's voice.

"Caira? Caira what's wrong?" he asked her as he began walking towards her.

"Why?" She asked through a pain filled voice.

"Why what?" Cabot asked her wondering what upset her.

"Why did we have to kill them? They weren't even acting hostile towards us. The only reason the Goliath attacked is because we attacked the other two." she said as tears were leaking out of her eyes now.

"Caira... I know you're upset about this but they were monsters and needed to be put down. Plus we only attacked them because they attacked us." he said trying to calm her down, this only prompted her to argue further.

"They were scared Cabot! The Wraith and Kraken were terrified of us, like they had never seen a hunter before! And did you not see the way the Goliath was protecting them?! It was prepared to give its life to protect them!" she screamed at her employer while pushing him.

"Caira. This can go down in notes for future study. What's done is done and we can't go back to undo it." he said calmly.

"You know what? fine. I'm done." she said walking towards the drop ship but not before looking back, "They were animals Cabot, scared animals that fought for survival and we took their lives when they tried to run. Actions like these make us the monsters Cabot." she said before walking to the drop ship and leaving Cabot there to think over the last words she said.

* * *

 **Alright! So those that read my previous story and was like "Hey. That's not half bad." thank you for giving it a chance even though it somewhat is shit in my opinion. Some of you will probably think is he giving up on that story? The answer is no, I'm not. I'll still update it but I'll do it after my finals are done and out of the way so expect a chapter probably this Saturday or next Monday. A new chapter for this story would probably be released tomorrow night and please review, I'm interested in what tips you guys have.**


	2. Chapter 1: Strange encounters

**Evolution**

 **AN:** **Thank you all for reading the previous chapter and sticking with it. I'll keep adding chapters probably every few days to keep the flow going. Next chapter will be Friday or Saturday. Now without further adieu let's roll on with the story!**

* * *

Chapter 1: Strange encounters

Ares woke with a start and began coughing to get some air to regulate into his body. The first thing he noticed was the sun beating down on him and closed his eyes blocking out its rays, slowly opening them up to let them adjust he noticed how green the forest was. Slowly standing he took in his surroundings and came to a conclusion that he wasn't anywhere on Shear. The conclusion came to be when he noticed that Shear had never really had anything that looked so peaceful in a long time due to all the humans and their pollution of the ecosystem. Anger rose in his chest as he thought of them killing his siblings and him without even letting them live their lives to the fullest, He even gave them signs to back away when they had the chance but like any other human they chose to attack without trying to understand. As the anger subsided a single thought entered his mind.

 _"Where are Rei and Ken!?"_ he thought as he took off running in a random direction hoping he could find their scents. As he dashed through the forest he noticed that the trees were a lot bigger than last time and he felt slower running. He found a nearby river and looked in the water and saw his reflection. His eyes were still that magma color that all Goliaths had but the rest of his body had completely changed. His skin was a dark brown with dark red tribal like tattoos that ran from the base of his shoulder down to his wrist. His hands were like normal human's but going from the middle joint of his fingers on down was wicked claws that could tear the flesh off of any creature. His feet had claws to grip the ground and prevent slipping. His tail still had all of its spiky goodness and had the same tribal tattoos like the rest of his body. As he stared at his new body his nose picked up a familiar scent of his younger siblings and made a mad dash towards their direction, he would be damned if they died on his watch.

* * *

Moving faster and faster through the unknown forest Ares saw his siblings sitting on top of a rock looking at the lake, giggling as the fish jump up in the air only to descend back into the water. As he looked at his siblings he could only stare in confusion at what they looked like as humans or half breeds... whatever they were now. Rei had silver hair with white streaks in it that stopped at the middle of her neck. Her talons stuck out of her back as did the little spikes and her three 'tails' were behind her swaying in the wind, her skin was a little pale due to her being an albino Wraith while her eyes ran a dark shade of silver. Ken had a very dark blue almost black hair that looked unkempt giving him a wild look. The tentacles on his back cackled with electricity every once in a while and his tail swayed in the wind like Rei"s. The fins on his arms would glow sometimes and move every few seconds. His fingers were webbed like a fish to propel him faster in the water and instead of having four eyes he had two that glowed a hypnotic blue. Clearing his throat he dashed towards them and tackled them to the ground.

"AH!" the both yelped in surprise and began to thrash around trying to break free until they stopped and look who it is.

"Ares is that you?" Rei asked as she gazed up at him and he hummed in response.

"Whoa! You look so cool " shouted Ken as he began running around his brother observing every inch of him with awe.

"Yeah you do, but aren't you a little concerned a little about this?" Rei asked

Ares just shrugged his shoulders as an answer and began looking around the forest. It looked so peaceful here, almost as if it was heaven as the humans called it. His thoughts were interrupted as he heard a growl and got into a battle stance, scanning the area for enemies. His eyes found the source of the growl when they landed on Rei and Ken who were shuffling their feet with their heads down and faces red with embarrassment.

"H-hey Ares... um can we get something to eat? We're kind of hungry." Rei meekly asked with a flushed face.

"Yeah. I'm really hungry too" Ken added while patting his stomach.

Nodding his head and sniffing the air he found a scent of something that could possibly be food. He crouched down for his siblings climb onto his back and peer over his shoulders to see what's ahead. After an hour of searching the trio came upon a dead deer that was freshly killed, not even waiting for him to let the two down Ken and Rei charged at the deer and began tearing into its flesh with their claws. Ripping fur, skin, muscle, and organs to shreds before stuffing it in their mouths coating their mouths with blood and gore. As Ares walked over to the two and crouched down they moved to the side as he took a spot by the deer's head and with a little force tore the head off of the deer and cracked its skull open to gorge on its brain matter. Stuffing the rest of the brain in his mouth he moved to its eyes and skewered them out with his claws before popping them into his mouth and swallowing them with a disgusting gulp. As he was finishing his portion he noticed the two siblings arguing.

"I want the kidney!" Shrieked Rei as she tugged at one of the kidneys.

"You already got one! Now you're just being greedy!" screamed Ken as he tugged at the one Rei had in her hands.

"You already got the stomach and liver! I want to see what a kidney taste like!" she screamed back.

"Well you got most of the intestines! So why can't I get the kidneys?!" He roared and was about to tackle her and pummel her into the ground. Ares sensing that the only way to get the two to stop bickering was to do something they both loved and would share without any arguments... the heart. Giving the heart a savage pull he brought it up to his mouth and let out a gentle flame to cook the heart but not burn it in the process. The two younger siblings turned to the older one with watered mouths as he cooked something they loved so much which immediately put a halt to their bickering.

"Ares we will stop bickering if you give us that." Ken said with droll dripping down his chin.

"Y-yeah we stopped right Ken?" Rei stuttered while having a hunger filled gaze at the heart.

"Yeah" he quickly agreed to get the best part of the body. Realizing he could toy with them Ares waved it back and forth in front of their faces as they followed it with hunger in their eyes. This went on for a few minutes before Ken charged for the heart trying to grab it from his older brother, Rei then later joined the struggle as Ares raised it above his head keeping it away from them. Both siblings backed off a few feet before charging at Ares and hitting him in the stomach making him lose some grip on the heart, this was all the two needed to quickly grab the heart and split it in half before savagely devouring it spraying blood all over the dirt. The siblings gave their older brother the best glare they could come up with but only made themselves look cute. They eventually climbed back on his back and the trio left the area unaware that a camera was watching them the whole time.

* * *

Ozpin sat in his office looking at the three individuals that roamed the forest without a sense of direction. They first appeared on the camera this morning when he entered the office. His interest was peaked when he saw the older one blow a gentle flame out of his mouth to cook the heart of the dead deer port set out to attract nearby grimm. Seeing these three in the forest alone raised some concerns for him as no one is able to survive that section of the forest for more than a few hours but these kids survived an entire day. Looking at them more closely he noticed their physical features more, the older one was muscular with a spikes jutting out of his back, tribal looking tattoos ( _he wondered if it was from some type of religion ),_ a barbed tail, magma like eyes, and looked to be around 17. The little girl had talons coming out of her back, silver hair with white streaks in it, three 'tails' that flowed in the wind, dark grey eyes that shown innocence and savagery, and looked to be around 6 years old. The little boy had a set of tentacles that were folded like wings that cackled with electricity every so often, very dark blue hair that was almost black, fins on his arms and webbed fingers, a long aquatic looking tail, and looked to be around the same age as the girl.

Seeing that these children looked like orphans Ozpin called Glynda up to the desk to take a look at the kids.

"Glynda?" Ozpin called to her.

"Yes Ozpin, what is it" She asked.

"Can you come over here please?" he asked her. Glynda came over to see what had Ozpin's attention this time.

"What is it" she asked

"Look" he said as he showed her the video of the children. As she looked at the children she couldn't help but make a face of mild disgust as they savagely tore into the dead deer that Port had left out there. At first she thought they were just some random kids but upon a closer look she noticed how close they were almost as if they were family the way the older one stopped the younger two from bickering and constantly looked out for danger even while eating.

"What do you want me to do about it? We obviously can't leave them out there." Glynda said.

"Hmm." Ozpin hummed while rubbing his chin.

"Gather team RWBY and go see if these children need a place to stay." Ozpin said.

"Sir, They were just formed about a few weeks ago. I can go out there and get them myself." Glynda argued.

"I understand your concerns Glynda but think of this as a training exercise for them... they'll be fine I assure you." he replied calmly.

Glynda just sighed in annoyance as she realized he was right, as future huntsman and huntresses they needed to be prepared for trials ahead.

"I'll prepare the team... what if they resist?" Glynda asked.

"...Then we must do something we'll regret. I'm hoping it doesn't come to that." he answered seriously. Glynda paled at the thought of taking children's lives and quickly left the office.

"Please don't let it come to that." he muttered as he took a sip from his mug.

* * *

As team RWBY sat in the bullhead they wondered what this mission was about.

"Ohhhhhh! I'm so excited! our first real mission!" Ruby squealed as she bounced up and down in the bullhead.

"Calm down you dolt. It's probably some grimm that are out of control." Weiss said. She had been trying to become a better teammate after dealing with the whole issue with Blake being a White Fang member.

"If it is then I'm ready to crack some skulls!" Yang said excited that she got to fight some grimm.

"I am curious as to what is out there in the forest." Blake coolly replied while reading her book.

"Alright children listen up!" Glynda said, "We are here to negotiate with three individuals. Now if you think this is a game of some sorts I can assure you it's not, since we do not have any information on any of them." Glynda stated sternly while looking at them.

"When we land I want all of you behind me and don't try anything to provoke them, especially the older one." Glynda said as the Bullhead opened up and she jumped out leaving the team wondering what she meant about the older one.

* * *

Glynda and the team trekked through the forest looking for these three individuals that Ms. Goodwitch talked about. As they were walking Blake notice a set of tracks in the dirt and called everyone over.

"I found some tracks, they look somewhat fresh." she said as she rubbed dirt between her fingers.

"Whoa, what kind of footprints are those?" Yang wondered, never seeing a human footprint with claws before.

"Dunno maybe it's our 'mysterious' individual." Weiss summed up while looking at the footprints in curiosity.

After she said that a roar could be heard coming from the north of them making the group run in that direction. When they arrived they saw a tall muscular man fighting a group of beowolves and an Ursa. They were about to intervene until they saw the man jump on the Ursa and dig his claws into its eyes effectively blinding it and making it roar in agony before he dug his right hand into its neck and rip out its windpipe and letting it suffocate on the ground. A beowolf leaped at the man from behind only to have its face turned to mush as his maced tail collided with its face, two beowolves decided to come at him one from the front and another from the back. The man grabbed the leaping wolf from the front and used its momentum to throw to the wolf in the back who jumped over its pack mate and at the man who used it's momentum to grab its face and slam it into the ground before spinning around to backhand the previous wolf and gripping its neck in his left armpit He then grabbed the wolf who was on the ground in front of him by the snout closing its mouth before slamming them both on top of each other and curb stomping their heads to a bloody paste. The rest of the pack just stared in caution at the random person that had decimated a majority of the pack, but before they could make a decision on what to do he charged the nearest wolf and dug his thumbs into its eyes. The beowolf screamed but it was short lived as he drove its snout into his knee and caved its skull in before setting his eyes on the next one who actually started backing up away from him as he stalked closer to it. The beowolf turned around and tried to run only for the man to grab its tail in a vice like grip and throw it into a tree, while the wolf was down he place both of his hands on its mouth, pried it open further than what it was meant to go, and blew a stream of fire out of his mouth and down its throat. This went on until the neck of the wolf eventually gave away to the heat and tore from the head letting the body slump to the ground with a burnt hole. With the head still in his hand he looked at the rest of the pack who all stood in fear of this... this... monster, giving a sadistic grin he gave a feral roar that sent the grimm running.

The girls could only stare in awe and a bit of fear at the man in front of them who actually managed to send grimm, creatures who showed no fear, running with the tails between their legs. They were about to confront the man but were stopped when two small figures ran out from a set of bushes and ran up to him. They listened in on the conversation that the three were having.

"Ares! Ares! Can you teach me how to do that thing with the grabbing?" shouted Ken as he practically jumped up to his older brother.

"Yeah! I wanna learn how to do the thing you did with your claws!" Rei practically squealed in excitement after watching her brother fight the wildlife.

Ares thought about it for a minute and eventually nodded his head basically saying he would teach them when they're older. He wouldn't teach them now due to bodies still developing, it's never good to fight when you're younger than a stage 1 since you could damage your body and have complications in the future.

"Yay!" the younger two cheered as they attempted to tackle Ares only to make him stumble a bit and scoop them up before setting them down again. He was about to have them climb on his back until he heard a snap in the nearby bush making him whip around and snarl into the bushes. The siblings hid behind their brother's legs as he snarled into the bushes at the unknown presence.

* * *

Everyone stood stock still as the older one whipped around and stared into the bushes and snarled sending chills down their spines. He placed the younger ones behind him as he snarled again but this time is was more angry and feral to point where it was downright terrifying.

"He knows we're here." Ruby whispered as she stared at him and his siblings

"Yeah we noticed, but we can't go out there now. He'd rip us to shreds." Weiss replied back to Ruby.

"If he tried anything we'd just have to beat him down." Yang said cocking her Ember Celica.

"Yang, he took down an entire Beowolf pack, brutalized an Ursa, and scared the rest off. I seriously doubt you could take him." Blake stated as her grip on Gambol Shroud tightened, there was something about the way he stared at them that unnerved her.

"Regardless we need to talk to him." Glynda said as she slowly stepped out of the bushes followed by the rest of the girls. She noticed how he tensed up more and how the younger ones receded further back behind his legs as they stepped out.

"Excuse me sir, but may I ask what you and the others are doing out here?"Glynda asked him as the grip on her riding crop tightened.

"..." Ares remained silent as his tail swayed back and forth in a malicious way, almost as if he expects them to make the first move and he makes the last. He glared at them and noticed how they all had some sort of weapon trained on him.

"Sir we can't go anywhere if you don't say anything, so please state your business here." Glynda stated again this time more forcefully.

"..." He was going to remain silent until they were either dead or they state what they're doing here.

"Well if you won't tell me that will you at least tell me your names?" Glynda asked hoping to get somewhere.

"U-um mam?" Rei stuttered out from behind Ares' right leg and looked at Glynda nervously as she got her attention.

"Yes? What is it?" Glynda replied softly hoping not to scare the child which worked as Rei began to relax a bit.

"I-I'm Rei and this is Ares" Rei softly said from behind his leg as she introduced herself and Ares who still glared at the group with distrust.

"Yeah! And I'm Ken!" The smaller boy replied with a smile on his face but quickly faded once he noticed he was the center of attention and hid behind his brother's leg drawing 'awwws' from the four teenage girls.

"Can you tell us what you're doing out here?" Glynda asked as Rei seemed to come out from behind her brother's leg and walk towards her only then did the other four girls see what kind of faunus she was and wondered what kind she was.

"W-well we don't know really... we kind of just woke up here." Rei softly answered as she was a few feet away from Glynda who noticed how Ares was glaring daggers at her as if saying 'do something to her and I will brutalize your corpse' making her choose her next words carefully. Before Glynda could ask a question Rei and Ken's stomachs growled loudly making them both flush in embarrassment.

"Are you two hungry?" Glynda asked somewhat amused.

"Yeah! Do you have food?!" Ken asked excited at the thought of food.

"Heck yeah kid! We got tons of food!" Yang said with a smile on her face.

"Alright! Ares! can we go with them?! Please?! Please?! Please?!" Ken shouted as he gripped Ares by the tail and swung around excited.

Ares thought about it for a minute, on one hand if he goes with them they could capture them and probably experiment on them, but on the other hand if they stay out here they'll starve to death since those black creatures disintegrate upon death. Drawing out a heavy sigh and blowing some steam out of his nostrils he nodded.

"Alright!" Ken and Rei shouted as they jumped around drawing a few giggles from the team. The siblings eventually stopped jumping and hopped onto Ares' back like they always do, drawing confusion from the girls.

"Hey, isn't that dangerous. Hopping on his back I mean?" Ruby asked

"What do you mean?" asked Rei as she tilted her head making her look innocent and making the girls gush a bit.

"She means with all those spikes on his back." Blake said as she stared at Ares, the way he kept looking around for danger drew some suspicions about him. In all her life she had never seen a faunus with spikes and a tail like that and the look in his eyes unnerved her... they look like the eyes of a predator always scanning for an escape route as or weak spots.

"Ohhhhhh. No it's not, well maybe the people that hopped on his back trying to bring him down but not us." giggled Rei as she got comfortable and Ken did the same as they made their way to the bullhead.

* * *

The trip to the bullhead was somewhat quiet with the exception of Ken and Rei asking questions about the wildlife here. When they finally got to the bullhead Ares stopped and stared at it taking in its details before boarding it and taking a seat near the exit. After the siblings made a conversation with the team and Glynda they walked over to Ares and fell asleep taking in the warmth of his body as he radiated heat.

"H-hey Ares... I have a question." Ruby said as she scooted a little closer to him only to scoot back as he glared at her.

"Are you guys siblings?" she asked him.

He merely nodded and returned his attention back to his sleeping siblings, shifting his arm so that Rei's head got in a more comfortable position.

"Oh... that's cool. Yang and I are sister. Well half sisters." She said trying to make a conversation and failing at it until the rest of her team came up to ask their own questions.

What kind of faunus are you? Because I don't recall any faunus having spikes or a tail like that." Blake asked with curiosity.

 _"What the fuck is a faunus"_ he asked himself before shrugging his shoulders in response to Blake's question.

"Hey hot stuff do not where a shirt for a reason? Because I like what I see~" Yang flirted and tried to touch one Ares' muscles only to find herself at the tip of his barbed tail indicating he doesn't like being touched except by his siblings. Hugs he could do, anything else he found weird and useless.

"Where are you from?" Weiss asked with a raised eyebrow.

Knowing they were going to ask more questions he scraped the answer on the floor of the bullhead **'Shear'** and with that he fell asleep.

He was woken up by touching... unnecessary touching. Knowing who it was he smacked the floor with his tail in front of said person drawing a startled yelp from her. He then noticed Ken and Rei were still asleep so he carefully picked them up and carried them to the front of the bullhead where everyone else was waiting drawing a 'awww' from all of the girls excluding Glynda.

"You look tired. Team RWBY take them up to your dorm for the night." Glynda said.

"Understood" The girls replied in unison.

"You're going to love it there!" shouted Ruby excited only to shrink down as Ares quietly snarled at her indicating that Rei and Ken were still asleep.

* * *

The trip to the dorm was quiet for the most part due to the siblings asleep. As they entered the room Ares immediately began searching for a spot to set them down for the night. While he was searching the girls couldn't help but notice how muscular he was and didn't realize he already moved to Ruby's top bunk and set them down.

"H-hey that's my bed. Where am I supposed to sleep?" she asked

He looked at her and shrugged in response to her before lying on the floor and closing his eyes trying to go to sleep. This worked for about twenty seconds before he felt something lick his face, he opened his eyes and found Zwei looking at him with curiosity. Ares glared at the dog before flipping his body over so he was lying on his stomach, the dog merely walked over to his face and sat down in front of him. He glared at the corgi even more as it curled up to his body as he radiated heat. He quickly rose up from the ground and walked over to Yang's bed and laid down in front of it to get away from the damn dog. The girls started giggling as they witnessed the scene in front of them, someone who could take down an entire pack of grimm with his bare hands and scare them shitless, was bothered by a simple house pet. Finally having enough of the dog Ares picked up Zwei and threw him in the bathroom and shut the door to prevent any further annoyances.

"Hey can I ask you a question?" Ruby asked him and he nodded.

"Ummm, can I sleep in my bed because I don't have anywhere else to sleep." she said as he tilted his head in confusion

"It's uh... that one that you put your siblings on." She said as she pointed to the top bunk. His gaze followed her finger and he shook his head no.

"But whyyyyyy? It's my bed." she groaned

"Ruby, here. You can sleep in my bed for the night." Weiss said.

"Really?" Ruby asked a little red at the question.

"Yes really you dolt now get in" Weiss huffed.

"Whoa there Weiss cream at least take my sister to dinner before you get her in bed." Yang teased.

"T-That's not what I meant you dimwit." Weiss said blushing at Yang's comment.

While the girls were arguing Blake couldn't help but notice how Ares' muscles glowed a bit when he breathed. At the sight of his muscles she began to have dirty thoughts about how strong he was, how his voice sounded, what he looked like without pants-, Blake cut off her thoughts as she blushed a deep red about the boy she just met a couple of hours ago. As she was turning she noticed how his siblings started to shiver and was about to say something until she saw him walk over to the bed they were sleeping on and crawl in with them, she noticed how his body acted like a radiator and they stopped shivering soon after. What Blake saw in him was a brother who would happily give his life for something he loves and it made her smile, she fell asleep soon after not noticing how Ares knew she was looking at him the whole time. Pretty soon he fell asleep with his siblings and wondered what the next day would bring.

* * *

 **Well hot diggity damn that took forever. Thank you those who reviewed my last chapter and commented. So thank you dracohalo117**

 **Swiftblood: They will be in the story but not until later on.**

 **Remember to like and review see ya.**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 2: Mornings issues

 **AN: So I noticed a couple of you have been asking if Behemoth and Gorgon will be in the story and the answer is yes. I just haven't figured out how I'm going to input their characters in it, but rest assured they will come in future chapters. They'll probably be introduced in maybe... three or four chapters? I don't know. Another thing I noticed is you all are asking why is Ares so short, so I forgot to mention that he's at least maybe a couple inches to a foot taller than Yatsuhashi. I didn't want to make him to tall or it wouldn't be it wouldn't be very realistic in my book. I also noticed you all are wondering if they can turn into their original forms and the answer is yes they can, I don't know if I'll make it their semblance though, time will tell. Last thing I swear, if by going down the cliche route you mean where they accept the invitation to Beacon right then and there, fall in love with the cast, Beacon falls, and what not. No is the answer and the reason being because I've seen a lot of fanfictions where it's the same thing and I want to do something different than them, not saying it's going to be better, just different. I'll add some cliche elements to it but not a lot. Without further adieu let's roll on with the story.**

* * *

The sun entered the room with a inviting feel to it as it woke the occupants of the room one by one. As the four girls of RWBY awoke from their slumber and got ready for the day they noticed that the three siblings were still asleep in a comfortable position and looked peaceful as they slept. They looked at the positions they slept in and found it rather odd, Ares slept on his stomach with his tail hanging off the edge, Rei slept underneath Ares' right arm snoring softly which made the girls gush a bit, and Ken... Ken was sleeping on Ares' head snoring loudly which somehow didn't wake the other two.

"Sooooooo, who wants to wake them up?" Yang asked while stretching, "Because big man would kill me if I did it." she said.

"That's probably because you tried to violate him in his sleep you brute." Weiss huffed.

"Oh come on, you're meaning to tell me you didn't want to touch those guns he's packing? They felt like diamonds." Yang said as she recalled how Ares' muscles felt before his almost maimed her with his tail.

"Unlike you I have common courtesy for people I just met." Weiss said.

"Then why were you staring at him while he slept?" Ruby innocently asked.

Weiss cheeks took on a shade of red at what Ruby said, she didn't think anybody saw her doing that but she forgot Ruby is extremely perceptive.

"Ohhhhh, so you were looking at those bad boys huh Weiss?" Yang grinned as she found out what Weiss did and stored it for future blackmail later.

"S-shut up! I-I was just curious as to why his muscles were glowing every so often!" Weiss defended herself as her cheeks grew a shade redder.

"Hey, no need to be ashamed about it Weiss cream. I think we all were." Yang said nonchalantly.

"I wasn't looking." Ruby said.

"Sis I've lived with you all my life, I can tell when you're lying. You were staring." Yang replied and saw Ruby's face turn a tint of red at being caught red handed **(AN: sorry couldn't resist it.)**.

"I'll do it." Blake simply replied and everyone in the room looked at her.

"You sure? I mean I could do it." Ruby said looking at the faunus member of the team.

"Yeah I'm sure, it's not like he would do anything." Blake said but deep down inside she knew he was probably one of those who woke up on his own or by his family only. As she reached out to shake him awake Rei slowly woke up and rubbed her eyes looking at Blake curiously.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"O-oh, I was going to wake up Ares so we can show you guys around the place." Blake replied.

"Yeeeeeaaaaaahhh, that's probably not a good idea for you to do." Rei advised.

"Why's that" Weiss asked from the other side of the room.

"U-um Ares... usually lashes out at anyone other than us who tries to wake him up." Rei answered in a slightly nervous voice.

"What's the worst that could happen?" Yang asked not seeing the big picture.

"He could go on a rampage, cost millions of funds in damage, injure or kill any living thing in the area, and/or possibly find the nearest power plant and blow it up." Rei answered simply as if he had done it before leaving the other girls in the room flabbergasted at how violent he becomes when he is woken up by the wrong person.

"Y-y-you're not serious are you?" Ruby asked in a scared voice hoping the young girl was joking.

"No, I'm not joking in the slightest... soooo a word of advice for future references." Rei answered

"Noted." The girls replied in unison.

Rei giggled at their reactions and proceeded to wake up Ares, first he growled at Rei's shaking because he knew when she was shaking him and when Ken was shaking him, then he snarled as her shaking got more excessive, and finally he huffed in annoyance at her finally getting him up. After he woke up he noticed that Ken was still asleep, a devious plan formed in Ares' head to wake Ken up. It involved: Water, a bit of blood, a sheets, and a lot of shaking. As he began to get the components Rei sat down behind Blake and watched as her oldest brother woken Ken up, this drew confusion from the RWBY and wondered what he was doing.

"What's he doing?" Yang asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Waking up Ken" Rei replied simply while swaying her tails back and forth gaining the attention of RWB.

"So what's the plan for waking him up?" Yang asked confused.

"He mixes his blood in with water and it makes it into a really thick paste. Ares then carefully wraps Ken in the sheets to make him feel like he's been captured. After he's been wrapped in the sheets Ares' proceeds to pour the mixture on him and shake him violently." Rei explained the plan to Yang who looked at Ruby with a devious smile in which the latter returned with a glare. After Ares wrapped Ken up in the blanket he poured the mixture on him carefully in order not to wake him up and then shook him violently while snarling. Ken shrieked as he violently thrashed around in the bed trying to get out of the sheets, after 30 seconds he used his claws to tear open the sheets and look around frantically before he set his eyes on his older brother. The two stared at each other stoically for 30 seconds before Ken leaped off of the bed and wrapped himself on the back of Ares' neck trying to choke him out but only prompted him to grab Ken's tail and swing him around before lightly tossing him to the ground and pinning him.

"Ahhhhh! Ares! Get off of me! Your fat butt is crushing me!" Ken screamed as he began to thrash around under Ares before looking at his sister.

"Rei! Help me!" He screamed.

"Sorry, no can do brother. You know what happened the last time I tried to help you when he pinned you like that." She replied while playing with Blake's hair.

"No I don't! Just help me so we can go eat!" He screamed now that Ares was covering his face with his chest. Rei sighed as she leaped onto Ares' back making him spin around to try and shake her off of him, which proved to be working since she was losing her grip. Just as Rei lost her grip she found one of her tails in Ares' hand and her world began to spin, as she was on the verge of vomiting she found herself on top of Ken and under Ares' chest.

"This is what happens when I help you, you always get me dragged into these situations." she said through a muffled and irritated voice.

"Well it's not my fault you actually listened to me. Can you get off of me now?" Ken said

"Yes it is your fault and what do you think I'm doing you doofus. Ares can you please get off of us now, Ken really stinks." Rei asked her older brother.

"Hey I don't stink! You stink you butt face." Ken shot back.

"No you do." Rei said back with sass.

"Nu-uh" Ken said.

"Uh-huh" Rei said back.

"Nu-uh"

"Uh-huh"

"Nu-huh"

While the siblings were having their interactions the girls were in the sidelines giggling at their argument and noticed how relaxed Ares looked. Instead of having the scowl that adorned his face it was replaced with a relaxed and comfortable expression, the kind when someone feels like their at home. As the bickering came to an end Ken came up to the girls and started talking to them.

"So where's the food at?" Ken asked as he tilted his head making the girls gush internally.

"In the cafeteria, I think they're serving chicken tenders or pancakes... Pray that it's not pancakes." Yang muttered the last bit hoping Ken didn't hear it but he did anyways.

"What are we waiting for let's go eat!" He shouted excitably at the thought of food in his stomach.

"Alright Alright hold up kid we need to get our stuff first." Yang replied back while grabbing her scroll.

"Hurry up! Food can't wait!" Ken said while pacing around the room waiting for the girls to finish getting their stuff.

"Alright we can go now." Yang said as they all walked out of the door.

* * *

As the group of seven were walking towards the lunchroom they began to get stares from various people with mixed expressions, some had looks of wonder, disgust, fear, hate, and awe at the siblings. Rei and Ken tried to shy away from the stares that peered onto them while Ares just ignored them, if anyone tried anything he'd just kill them and eat their corpse. As they entered the lunchroom Ares took the time to survey the place seeing if it had any vantage points in case there was a fight, they were greeted by team JNPR that waved them over to the table.

"Hey Ruby over here!" Jaune shouted from across the room. Gaining her attention she led the group to their table and began talking to introduce them to the siblings.

"So who are they?" Pyrrha asked curiously as she looked at the three, she noticed how the younger two were on the older one's back and retreated back further when the attention was on them.

"So this is Rei" Ruby introduced the little girl as she just gave a timid wave to the group and they waved back.

"This is Ken" Ruby introduced the boy as he gave a wave and a small smile before retreating behind his brother's back.

"And this is Ares." She introduced the oldest one of the group. JNPR waved at him but noticed how he didn't do anything back to them, and kind of just glared at them with calculating eyes... almost as if he were sizing them up, like a predator does to its prey before it brings it down.

"So what kind of faunus are you guys?" Ren asked.

"Um... what's a faunus?" Rei asked confused, she had never heard the word faunus in her life. JNPR stared at her in shock, as did RWBY, how could they not know what they were?

"You're joking right?" Yang grinned thinking the young girl was joking only to come to shock at what she said next.

"No I'm not. We've never heard the word faunus in our lives. Have you two heard of it?" she asked Ken and Ares.

"Nope." Ken replied while looking at the food people were carrying as they passed by and Ares just shook his head no.

"Oh... well. Okay, then. Basically a faunus is a human with animal parts." Pyrrha explained.

"Hmm, that's cool. When do we get to eat" Ken asked as he actually started drooling and almost swiped someone's tray if Ares hadn't moved to prevent him by turning his body.

"Ohhhhhh! C'mon we'll show you the way to the best food in the world." Nora said as she attempted to grab Rei and Ken only to have Ares snarl and glare murderously at her which forced her to back off. She hid behind Ren who glared at Ares with contempt and received one right back, the two were staring at each other for so long that it began to get uncomfortable for the parties, this was going on until Yang decided to say something.

"O-okay I think now would be a good time to grab some grub right?" Yang asked trying to mitigate the situation as much as possible which prove to be working as the younger two jumped off Ares' back and began to follow her with Ares close behind but not before giving Ren a look saying 'Stay away from us and I won't have to eat you alive'.

"W-well that was something." Ruby nervously laughed trying to bring the spirits back up.

"Who are they?" Pyrrha asked coming out of her shocked stupor.

"Truth is... we don't know" she replied, "We were on a mission with professor Goodwitch to search for them and we found them in the forest." Ruby said.

"The older one actually scares me." Nora said now coming out from behind Ren's back.

"I think he scares all of us." Blake replied voicing all their opinions.

"What'd he do to scare you guys?" Jaune asked, a little afraid of the answer since Blake's face change to a look of slight fear at the thought.

"You know how grimm aren't scared of anything?" she asked.

"Y-yeah." he answered with a scared tone.

"He managed to do it after a single fight." she said. The rest of JNPR's facial expressions changed. Nora hid behind Ren some more, Jaune almost fainted, Pyrrha covered her mouth in shock, and Ren had a neutral facial expression as always but if you look closely enough you could see a tiny trace of fear on his face. No one had that much influence to scare grimm away... right?

* * *

"So what kind of food do they have here?" Ken asked as he grabbed a tray to get as much food as he could.

"All sorts kid, what's on your mind?" Yang asked.

"Hmm." He hummed while tapping his chin, "Trapjaw" he said.

"Uh...what?" she asked not knowing what a trapjaw was.

"Trap-jaw." He said more slowly to get her to understand, seriously who's never heard of a trapjaw before.

"I don't think we have that here." Yang said with a raised eyebrow.

"...Can I just have to sweetest thing then?" he asked in a sort of solemn voice.

"Sure." She replied, "What do you want Rei?" she asked the young girl.

"Hmm, I want that!" Rei said pointing at the a full plate of eggs, bacon, sausages, and an orange.

"Hehe, alright kid. Hey, big man what do you want to eat?" Yang asked Ares. All he did was stare at her... to be honest his silent attitude is starting to piss her off. After ten seconds of staring at her he picked up a plate that carried the same thing as Rei.

"...Alright is that what you want?" Yang asked, only to get a look that said 'I chose this for a reason'. Huffing at his silent treatment towards everyone she made her way back to the table after paying for the food. As they were making their way to the table Yang saw someone or some people she really despised... Team CRDL, the group of narcissistic racist assholes with nothing better to do than pick on people weaker than them. Reaching the table and sitting down Yang could hear the four racists make their way over there to harass the new arrivals.

"Who's the new animal here?" Cardin sneered as he got a closer look at the three siblings and noticed they're ignoring him,"Hey animal, I'm talking to you." Cardin said as he snatched the food from Ken who let out a cry distress as his food was gone, not noticing the flames steaming from the corners of Ares' mouth.

"I don't know if you all know... but animals like you have to pay a fee." Cardin said as his friends started laughing with him.

"Leave em alone Cardin" The girls threatened.

"Or what? You going to snitch on me? Sluts like you think you're so big and bad because the headmaster chooses your team over anyone else." Cardin sneered as his jockeys started howling with laughter at the jab that he made towards the girls.

"Or are you just mad because no one wants to give your team a chance because all they see wasted potential." Rei said before sticking a piece of bacon in her mouth, she may have just met them but team RWBY were nice enough in her book so it's not wrong to defend them.

"What did you just say you filthy mongrel?" Cardin growled out to the little girl.

"I said this. All. They. See. Is. Wasted. Potential." She emphasized each word to get through his thick skull.

"Why you little BITCH!" Cardin roared raising his hand up and bringing it down to hit Rei... only for it to stop half way from its mark in an iron grip. Looking up Cardin saw the face an enraged Ares with an absolute murderous look in his eyes. Cardin attempt to free his hand only for it to stay put in Ares' right hand, as Cardin tried to free his hand teams RWBY and JNPR looked in awe at Ares. They never noticed how tall he was until now, he might even beat Yatsuhashi in height and he's the tallest kid in this school. Ares released Cardin's arm as Dove tried to punch him in the back of the head only to have a maced tail smash into his stomach drawing a crack that resounded throughout the lunch room, Sky then tried kick the back of Ares' knees to which he blocked by placing his tail in front of them. Ares then crouched and spun in a 360 knocking Sky off his feet while breaking his legs in the process which sounded painful enough, it didn't help that Ares stomped on the legs breaking them further and giving Sky's legs compound fractures and drawing a scream of agony from the boy. Ares turned around slowly and stared at Russel who looked close to shitting himself as he looked the monstrosity that injured his team, he turned to run only to feel clawed hands grab his shoulders and yank him back into the lunchroom. He looked up to see the beast staring at him with a sadistic grin that occupied razor sharp canines that looked ready to tear the flesh off of his bones, fearing for his life Russel's body completely shutdown and he fainted leaving only Cardin left to deal with a pissed off older brother. As Cardin nursed his hand he noticed a shadow loom over him and was scared to look up but made the mistake anyways, in front of him would be considered the devil himself. As he stared up at the monster in front of him he made one last attempt to harm this creature by punching it in the mouth, this proved to be the worst mistake of Cardin's life as Ares bit the fist crushing the knuckles between his teeth. Cardin started screaming as he felt bone being turned to dust by this thing's mouth, he then felt an intense burning heat that started cooking his fist, which forced Cardin to actually start sobbing as his had turned to a smoldering piece of meat. Cardin thought that his hand would be gone but his saving grace came from someone you don't want to piss off... Glynda Goodwitch. She then used her telekinesis to throw Ares into a nearby wall and pin him there while he thrashed around and snarled like some sort of rabid animal in a cage.

"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS!" She screamed as she looked around and saw team CRDL on the ground either unconscious or in massive amounts of pain. She then turned to Ares who was still thrashing around under her telekinesis and after a few minutes she found herself looking in horror... he was actually breaking out of it. Little by little he broke out of her spell and soon she found herself having to lift Cardin off the ground to protect him from the raging older sibling as he leaped and threw objects at him. Ares then picked up an entire table and threw it with such precision that Glynda had a hard time maneuvering Cardin out of the way. Just as she was about to use her semblance again two shrill voices echoed throughout the lunchroom making the raging sibling stop in his tracks as he picked up another table.

"ARES! STOP!" Turning around Ares found himself looking at his younger siblings and the teams, his siblings had tears coming out of their eyes and the teams had a look of horror etched on their faces. Setting down the table gently and walking towards them he noticed the teams took a few steps back but his siblings took a few steps forward, pretty soon they were a couple of feet apart and just stared at each other.

"Y-you promised you weren't going to that do that again." Rei choked a bit as she looked at her older brother in fear, something she only ever did once in her short lifetime.

"Y-yeah, you promised us that we would never have to see it until we were older." Ken cried a bit, he had been scared of a lot of things and got over it but seeing your older brother turn partially savage was one of the scariest things in his life that he'd never get over.

Ares looked down in guilt as he looked around the room and noticed it's completely trashed, then he noticed the boys that he had fought. While they may have started the fight and he finished it that's no reason to turn savage on them and almost kill them but it became personal when he almost hit Rei. Eventually the two younger siblings hugged their older brother and sobbed into his chest, to be honest it broke his heart when his siblings cry and it broke it even more when he realized that he's the cause of it.

Turning savage is the worst state of a monster's sanity, it marks when their bloodlust is massive enough to where it clouds judgment and harms anything around it, whether it be loved ones or enemies no one is safe when a monster goes savage. Thus why his skin is savage, he embraced his savagery and came into terms with it which marked him as the savage skinned Goliath. The one who haunts young one's dreams, the boogeyman of monsters and humans, and the one that serves as a reminder of what true bloodlust looks like when it's out of control.

* * *

 **Well,well,well look who it is... my viewers. Anyways creepiness aside thank you for reviewing on this story and sticking with it. So in the AN at the top I forgot to mention how they got here. You all remember that rock that Rei and Ken loved so much? Well, it's actually a transporter beacon which leads to a place called the abyss or rift, it'll be explained later on in the story, anyways it basically transported them to this Remnant due to them holding that certain beacon. Like I said it'll be explained more when the Behemoth and Gorgon are introduced into the story. Anyways remember to review because I'm always interested in what you guys and gals have to say.** **さよなら (Sayonara). I actually forgot I can speak Japanese and English.**


	4. Chapter 4: Disagreements and make ups

Chapter 3: Disagreements and make ups

 **AN: Welcome again ladies and gentlemen to another chapter of Evolution. Thanks for reading it up until this point and wanting to see where it continues. I noticed the last chapter was kind of shit in my opinion and that's because I kind of just wrote a bunch of bullshit because I was stressed, this chapter will have more thought into it and hopefully be better. Oh and one last thing Ares can speak but only in through snarls and growls that Rei and Ken can understand. So without further adieu let's roll on with the story.**

* * *

The siblings and RWBY were following Ms. Goodwitch to Ozpin's office, though the trip was quiet. Ares looked back at his siblings and noticed that they were sticking closer to the team rather than him and it made him feel even more guilty of his actions. No one dared to talk as the group made their way to the headmaster's office in fear of pissing off the older brother, as the group neared the elevator Glynda spoke up to the team.

"Children, I want you all to go back to your dorm room. I need these three to speak with the headmaster." She said as she entered the elevator. The team nodded and began to walk back to their room leaving the siblings and Glynda in the elevator. The ride up to Ozpin's office was quiet for the most part with the exception of Ken and Rei shuffling in place, as the elevator opened the two younger siblings were struck with awe at the room.

"This way children." Glynda instructed as she made her way to Ozpin's desk and stood beside it. The three followed close behind with Ken and Rei in front of Ares walking fast.

"Good evening children, how are you all today." Ozpin said with a small smile.

"...Fine I guess." Rei said softly while rubbing her arm.

"...We're okay..." Ken said as well while softly swaying his tail.

"..." Ares just stared at the headmaster in distrust, something about this man rubbed him the wrong way.

"That's good. Now what are your names young ones?" He asked.

"Rei" Rei said quietly.

"Ken" Ken replied just as quiet while avoiding Ozpin's gaze.

"..." Ares didn't reply as he just stared at the headmaster some more.

"Is there a reason you're not talking young man?" Ozpin asked.

"He doesn't really talk sir, he hasn't talked since we got here." Rei answered.

"What is his name then?" Ozpin asked.

"His name is Ares." She replied.

Ozpin hummed in response while rubbing his chin as he looked at the older sibling in curiosity. Ares just glared at the older man in front of him and found him odd, he acted just like the scientist back on Shear with the way he was observing them and it unnerved him.

"I assume you all don't have anywhere to go?" Ozpin asked the two younger siblings.

"Well... not really. We haven't found a place to stay yet." Rei answered to the older man.

"Well how would you like to stay here? We can provide you all with all the necessities you all need until you find a suitable place to stay. What do you all say?" Ozpin asked the three.

"Um... I don't know... what do you say Ken?" asked Rei unsure.

"Hmm, I think we should take it." He answered with the shrug of his shoulders.

"Why?" She asked.

"Just think about it Rei, we have all the stuff we need here. We have food, shelter, and etc. I think it's the perfect place to stay for the time being." He answered.

"...Wow. That's the most intelligent thing I've ever heard you say." She said with humor in her voice. Ken just stuck his tongue out at his sister before turning to Ares.

"What do you say Ares?" Ken asked. Ares thought about it for a minute. On one hand they had a place to stay but on the other hand he didn't know what intentions the man in front of him had, this whole thing could be a trap waiting to happen.

 **"No"** Ares said through a growl, the two younger siblings were surprised he spoke. Shaken out of their stupor they began to question as to why he disagreed.

 **"What do you mean no?"** Ken said through his own series of growls.

 **"It means exactly as it sounds Ken. For one we don't know what he wants from us, for all we know he could be another hunter waiting for us to be at our weakest before killing us."** Ares replied back.

 **"But he doesn't even seem that bad Ares. Just think about it, we have shelter, food, and even people we can have a conversation with."** Ken said hoping to get his older brother to see the big picture.

 **"Looks can be deceiving brother, have you even bothered to ask him what he wants from us?"** Ares asked.

 **"Maybe he doesn't want anything from us Ares. Why would you think like that?"** Ken asked.

 **"People like him always want something from others if he's offering hospitality."** Ares replied.

 **"At least give it a chance Ares, we have no other place to go."** Ken said.

 **"No Ken, this whole deal seems shady. We're not staying and that's final."** Ares said growing frustrated at how this conversation is going.

 **"Well what do you suppose we do then hmm?"** Ken asked his older brother, his own frustration growing.

 **"We do what we always do. Find a suitable shelter, make use of the wildlife, and thrive. If that plan goes haywire we do what we always do... relocate."** Ares said.

 **"Well I'm tired of relocating every time something bad happens!"** Ken shouted, **"Why is your plan every time something bad happens is to relocate?! You don't even think about Rei and I do you?! You just think that moving will solve all of our problems huh?! It doesn't Ares!"** Ken screamed at his older brother.

 **"Well what do you want me to do?! Huh?! Just wait for the wildlife find us when we're at our weakest and kill us?! Or how about the other monsters?! You know how they are Ken, they wouldn't hesitate to kill us if they got they chance! I do this to protect you two!"** Ares roared in his brother's face.

 **"Well stop worrying so much about us! We aren't babies anymore Ares!"** Ken screamed back.

 **"I worry about you two because you can't defend yourselves! I'm the only one who can defend you two!"** Ares snarled back.

 **"Well stop! You're not dad!"** Ken screamed before clasping his hands around his mouth. Ares froze while looking at his brother and Rei gasped while she had her hands on her mouth. Glynda and Ozpin were confused as to what the two were arguing about and were about to say something until they heard Ken say something to Ares only for him to interrupt him.

 **"A-Ares I didn't mean to say tha-"** Ken tried to explain.

 **"Save it Ken. I may not be dad but I'm the closest fucking thing you two have to him. You think I want to move all the time? No, the reason we move so much is so what happened to him doesn't happen to you two. I do this shit to keep you two from harm, but don't you ever think I do this without thinking of you two first. I do this _for_ you two." ** Ares said walking to the elevator but not before looking back, **"You two can stay here, I'm not. I'm leaving and I suggest you two do the same."**

* * *

As the elevator descended to ground level Ares had a million thoughts crashing in his mind _'_ _Why the fuck would he say that?! He knew talking about dad was off limits!'_ his angry side screamed in his mind.

 _'He was angry, moving around that much at such a young age can do that to someone especially when a few of the places is somewhere they've grown attached to.'_ His reasonable side said.

 _'That still doesn't give him the right to talk about dad, it was uncalled for. So what if we leave? He'll realize his mistake and come crawling back to us like he always does.'_ The angry side of him said as he walked outside and began to leave the school grounds.

 _'But that doesn't excuse us to leave them with two complete strangers. Go back and make up with him, without you in this world he would be lost and you should probably go back and get them since you don't know what that man and women are capable of.'_ His reasonable side said. Ares' eyes widened as that final thought popped in his head. He quickly bolted back to the tower and began to climb the wall by sinking his claws in it and quickly scaling it, as he was climbing the wall students began to look in his direction and stare with their jaws wide open. As he reached the window he stared looked into the room and saw Rei and Ken still talking to Ozpin and Glynda with looks of slight fear and confusion on their faces before they noticed him and waved... well Rei did while Ken just had a guilty look on his face. Ozpin and Glynda turned around to see what the two were staring at and adopting a shocked look on their faces as they stared at the older brother. Seeing that there wasn't any open window Ares started headbutting the window to break it since he needed both hands to hang onto the wall. As the glass started to give away Ozpin and Glynda began backing up to avoid being hit by the glass. The glass finally gave away and Ares entered the room and stared at the four before moving over to his siblings and kneeling down.

 **"Ken?"** Ares said as he looked at his little brother.

 **"..."** Ken just remained silent as he kept his head down in guilt.

 **"Ken look at me..."** Ares said as he grabbed Ken's chin gently and made him look at him. He noticed that his brother had slightly red eyes and a few tears trailing down his face, **"I'm not mad at you anymore."** Ares said.

 **"You're not?** **"** Ken rubbed his eyes

 **"No. Frustrated yes, but mad no."** Ares said as his tail was swaying back and forth.

 **"But why did you come back?"** Ken asked.

Ares just sighed, **"The reason I came back was for you two, plus who's going to tease you two and roughen you up a bit?"** Ares smiled as Ken giggled and punched his shoulder before he engulfed him in the biggest hug he could muster with his tiny arms.

 **"Does this mean you're going to stay with us?"** Ken asked as he looked at his older brother.

 ***sigh* "...Yes it means I'm going to stay with you two little bastards."** Ares chuckled

 **"Hey! I'm not a little bastard, I'm a big one!"** Ken puffed out his chest as Rei snorted trying not to laugh and Ares began to laugh at his little brother.

 **"Yeah I'm a big bastard... wait, what's a bastard!"** Ken asked as he had never known what it was. At that comment Rei couldn't control it anymore and began to giggle uncontrollably and Ares just chuckled before ruffling his brother's hair.

 **"So what do they want from us?"** Ares asked

 **Well... it's more of what they want from you."** Rei answered while swinging her legs on the chair. Ares raised an eyebrow at the comment.

 **"What do they want from me?** **"** Ares asked.

 **"They want you to join their school and 'teach them our ways' "** Rei said while doing the bunny ears at the last part of the comment making the older sibling laugh.

 **"What ways do they think we have?"** The older brother asked with a raised eyebrow.

 **"I dunno and I don't really care. Can we go now I'm getting hungry."** Rei said while patting her stomach for emphasis.

 **"Seriously? You two just ate like what... and hour and a half ago?"** Ares asked.

 **"Hey we kids need our nutrients to grow up big and strong."** Ken said while flexing his tiny arms.

 **"Brother... stop, you're just embarrassing yourself."** Rei mused from her seat, **"All joking aside what do you say Ares?"** she asked.

 **"...Fine... We'll stay here."** Ares finally said after giving a quick thought.

 **"Yes!"** both siblings said as they turned towards Ozpin and Glynda who just observed quietly from the sidelines.

"He said we can stay here." Rei said somewhat excited.

"Oh well that is certainly good news. Now here are some of the things you three have to do-" Ozpin said but was interrupted by Ares who spoke in his language.

 **"On one condition."** Ares said to his siblings who turned to look at him.

"What did he say?" asked Glynda.

"He said on one condition." answered Ken.

"And what is that condition?" Ozpin asked while sipping from his mug.

 **"Every few nights I need to hunt."** Ares stated his demand.

"He said every few nights he needs to hunt." Rei answered the witch.

"Why would you need to hunt, you have all the food here." Glynda stated not seeing the reason for the brother to hunt for food.

"Oh! He mainly hunts just to hunt or when he's super angry, he usually just likes the thrill of it all. From the tracking, to the stalking, and finally the thrill of the kill. Most of the prey he hunts he either throws it away for the wildlife to eat or for us to eat." Ken answered for his brother already knowing the motives for him going out.

"...Well that's um... unexpected and how long are these hunts of his usually?" Glynda asked clearly interested in Ares' hunts.

"Hmm, usually from the start of the night to the break of dawn." Rei answered already knowing the time it takes for Ares to hunt.

"Hmm." Ozpin rubbed his chin, "If he is able to get to classes on time then I don't see why not." he stated.

"So does this mean we can stay here?" Rei asked hopefully.

"Yes that means you three can stay." Ozpin answered with a small smile, "You three will have to reside in another team's dorm for the time being." he said.

"Ok, thank you! Bye grey haired man and blonde lady!" Ken shouted as he and Rei climbed onto Ares' back as the three were heading in the direction of the window.

"W-what are you doing?!" Glynda shrieked as the three turned around to look at her in confusion.

"What?" Rei asked while tilting her head.

"Why don't you use the elevator?! That way is to dangerous for you three without aura!" Glynda shouted trying to get the three children away from certain death.

"Oh come on! It's not that bad." Ken said looking out the window before looking at her again, "Yeah it's not that far of a fall, worst case scenario we'll crush something." Ken said while waving his hand dismissively.

"Absolutely not! You children will do such dangerous things at such a young age." The woman said while crossing her arms. The siblings just stared at her then each other before jumping out the multistory window drawing a worried shriek from the witch as she rushed to the window to try to save them. Only to stop as she saw that Ares had dug his claws in the side of the building slowing their descent before leaping off the side of the tower and landing on the ground making a spider web of cracks in it. The three looked at her and waved... well two did the last one just stared at her before turning around and making their way to the dorm rooms unaware that some students were recording the whole thing to post it on the internet.

* * *

 **In the dorm room area after dinner:**

As the siblings were making their way to the dorm rooms they began to hear the chatter among the student body.

"Did you see what those three did?" One students asked.

"Yeah, they leaped out of the headmaster's window. That's fucking insane." Another said.

"What was the older one thinking? Risking the younger one's lives like that." another student said disgusted.

"I don't know man, but what kind of faunus are they? I've never seen one that had spikes on their back." some other student asked in curiosity.

"Holy shit that's actually kind of terrifying now that you look at them more closely, why are the younger one's climbing on the bigger one's back" a student asked intimidated by the presence of Ares.

"I don't care what some people think I think it's cute." a female student commented.

"Lisa you think anything is cute." another deadpanned.

"Fuck you Linda so what if I think it's cute especially the older one." The student named Lisa flirted. At this point the three began to tune the voices out as they reached RWBY dorm room. Knocking a couple of times they heard a startled yelp and a loud thump as the door swung open as Ruby face was met with Ares' abs. Ruby's face flushed a bright red as she slowly looked up to look at Ares' confused face and saw that Rei and Ken were peeking from his shoulders, Ruby then looked back at his abs and turned into a sputtering mess.

"O-oh my Oum! I-I'm sorry I d-didn't mean to stare I-I just kind of... Y-you know what I-I think Yang called me! C-coming Yang!" Ruby shouted as she bolted back passed the three drawing looks of confusion from them as they just shrugged and entered the room. Rei and Ken hopped off of Ares' back and began to explore the room while Ares just snorted in amusement and began to lay down on the floor. As the younger two were looking around a certain black book was found on Blake's bed Rei, with her ever growing curiosity, picked up the book and read the cover _Ninjas in Love 2_.

"Whatcha got there?" Ken asked while peeking over her shoulder.

"I don't know. I found it on Blake's bed, I mean I know it's a book but I don't know what it's about." Rei shrugged before walking to Ares' lying form.

"Hey Ares? We found this book on Blake's bed and we want to know what it's about, will you read it to us?" Rei asked.

 **"Fine... hand it over."** Ares replied while getting in a sitting position and reading a few pages before his eyes widened and he quickly shut the book.

"What?" Ken asked.

 **"I'm not reading this to you guys."** Ares stated firmly.

"Why not?" they both asked.

 **"Just trust me on this..."** He replied stoically.

"Okay?" Ken asked with a raised eyebrow. Just as he finished saying that team RWBY walked into the room and looked at the three, Blake then noticed what was in Ares' hand and turned a shade of crimson before bolting over to his figure and snatching the book from him. He raised an eyebrow at her action before shrugging it off as her face reddened even more as she stared at his body when he stood up.

"Hey guys!" Ken and Rei shouted at the girls in excitement.

"Hey!" Ruby shouted back with as much excitement before looking at Ares and quickly turning away with a red face.

"The grey haired man and the blonde lady said we can stay here!" Ken said.

"Really? That's pretty cool!" exclaimed Yang, in truth she loved these two kids and she usually never likes kids but something about these two brought something out in her.

"Where will you guys be staying?" Weiss asked the three.

"Well he said something about staying here for the time being so it's safe to assume that we're staying here." Rei answered simply.

"Hmph, just don't sleep in Ruby's bed to much she's terrible in bed." Weiss said without realizing what she said but a certain blonde haired brawler did.

"Jeez, Weiss didn't know you were so judgmental about who you bring to bed~" Yang grinned at the heiress's reaction.

"S-shut up! Y-you know what I meant you oaf! I-I just mean she gets feisty when she doesn't get enough of the sheets." Weiss tried to explain only to blush a deeper shade of red as she just realized when she said.

"Damn ice queen, didn't know you like em rough like that. You sure do know how to pick them sis." Yang grinned.

"Yaaaaaaaaaaaang. That's not funny!" Ruby stomped as her face began to blush again. Ares merely chuckled at the sight before him and then remembered he needed to go hunting tonight.

 **"Rei. Ken. Come over here."** Ares said as he got the attention of the two. The four girls eyes widened at the sound of his voice -err well snarl- it was deep and rough but soft and gentle to the ears. The girls began to draw looks of confusion as Rei and Ken adopted the same language Ares was using to communicate with them, and tried to decipher what they were saying but failed in the end.

 **"I'm going hunting tonight okay?"** he asked the two.

 **"Okay, but if there is anything shiny can you bring it to us?"** Rei asked him.

 **"Sure I'll try, but if I don't find anything I'll bring something back next time."** He smiled as he kissed her forehead and placed his forehead against Ken's.

 **"I'll see you two in the morning goodnight."** Ares said.

 **"Night Ares! Happy hunting."** The two exclaimed as Ares leaped out the window drawing gasp from the four girls.

"Where's he going?" Blake asked.

"He's going hunting." Ken stated simply while playing with his wings making them spark with electricity and a giggle from him.

"Hunting? Why's he doing that, he's got all the food here." Ruby asked

"He just usually hunts to hunt." Rei sort of explained, she already explained it once she's not doing it again.

"So he just goes out there and sees what kind of game he can bag?" Yang asked.

"Pretty much." The two answered simply.

"When does he usually get back from his hunting trips?" Weiss asked.

"Usually around dawn. He often comes back with something for us." Ken said with an excited tone. For some reason when Ken and Rei smiled it brought loads of joy to RWBY.

"Huh, that's pretty cool. What kind of weapons does he use?" Ruby asked them.

"Um, his claws, tail, fire breath, boulders..." Rei listed off using her fingers.

"OHHHHH!" the team exclaimed in surprise.

"Corpses from the numerous people that tried to kill us." Rei stated simply.

"Wait what was that last one?" Yang asked.

"Nothing." Rei quickly replied.

"Well I think we should go to bed since it's pretty late." Weiss said while looking at the time and saw how late it was.

"Yeah seems like a plan. Night girls and boy." Yang said while stretching and getting in her bed.

"Goodnight." the girls replied back. They all turned to the sound of a loud snore and found Ken hanging upside down on the bed post, they all stared with open mouths (with the exception of Rei) at his position.

"Is that safe?" Blake asked.

"Not in the slightest." Rei answered before climbing up to Ruby's bunk and getting comfortable.

"Shouldn't he I don't know... be in the bed not on the side." Weiss asked.

"Hey I don't judge how you sleep. Especially when you're cuddling Ruby like the way you do." Rei shot back with as much sass in her voice as a six year old could (which wasn't very much).

"Oh so my vision isn't going bad, huh? I knew you were doing something with Rubes this morning Weiss cream." Yang grinned.

"Q-quiet you! Just go to sleep." Weiss blushed at the comment. Yang just chuckled and turned in for the night as did everybody else, the only sound other than the quietness of the room was Ken's snoring.

 **30 minutes later:**

Blake woke up to someone shaking and groggily turned to see who it was. She was surprised to see Rei standing there twiddling her thumbs and looking around nervously.

"U-um Blake? C-can I s-sleep with you tonight?" she asked in a quiet nervous tone.

"Yeah sure, why?" Blake asked surprised at the young girl's question.

"Ken and I usually sleep with Ares when we have a nightmare or are cold." Rei answered meekly.

"Sure climb in." Blake said while scooting over for the young girl. As Rei got in the bed she pressed herself against Blake's figure and snuggle into her, after getting comfortable she began to fall asleep. Blake stared at the young girl in her arms and smiled before setting her head down on her pillow, she then saw that Ken wasn't on the bed post anymore. She began to look around worried before her eyes caught a glimpse of his sleeping form in between Weiss and Ruby snoring softly, she smiled at the sight and noticed that Weiss had her arms wrapped around his waist and pulled him close to her body. Her attention was brought back to the young girl as she tightened her grip around Blake and snuggled in closer. Blake blushed at the girl and wrapped her arms around her pulling her closer before falling asleep but not before hearing a roar that echoed throughout the night which woke the six occupants but two were still half asleep.

"What was that?" Weiss asked before noticing she had her arms around Ken and quickly let go of him drawing a whimper from the young boy. She quickly wrapped her arms around him again and blushed when he did the same.

"Yeah what was that? It better be something big to wake me up." Yang tiredly growled.

"I was having the best dream about cookies." Ruby pouted and noticed that Ken was in the bed with them. She looked at Weiss and giggled at her holding him before he shifted over to grab Ruby which drew a giggle from the heiress making the reaper blush in embarrassment.

"Ugh, Ares needs to keep it down." Rei groaned.

"That was Ares?!" Yang quietly shouted.

"Mhmm." Rei hummed in response, "He usually gets like this when he fights something bigger or stronger than him." Rei answered tiredly.

"So he gets all riled up when he takes on something big and strong?" Yang asked in a sultry tone.

"Yeah he does, he gets aggressive something tries to overpower him." Rei stated simply before falling back asleep.

"Heh, I like the sound of that~" Yang flirted.

"Yang stop. Go back to sleep." Blake

"Oh come on Blakey, You're telling me you don't want someone big, strong, mysterious, and quiet trying to overpower you. He sounds like my kind of guy." Yang teased and blushed at the thought of the older brother.

"S-shut up and got to sleep." Blake blushed, "And the reason he's you're kind of guy is because you never had one in the first place." Blake shot hotly before falling asleep.

W-what the... O-oh that's not even remotely... You k-know you got a lot of... Never mind forget it." Yang said in a sputtering mess before mumbling angrily and falling asleep.

* * *

This is what he lives for... the thrill of the hunt. He loved every part of it, the wind brushing against his skin as he ran, the feeling of the soil under his feet, the night air scent flowing through his nostrils, and finally the hunting. Tonight was a hunt night and these so called 'predators' think of him as prey but tonight is the night where the hunters become the hunted, the prey becomes the predator, the man becomes a monster. It was a hunt night and he will be taking lives no matter how big or small, he _will_ be killing something tonight and the prey will be plentiful.

Ares chuckled at the thought of what a Behemoth told him _"Happy hunting Goliath, may the prey be the sheep and you be the wolf, "_ he chuckled at the the quote from the wise Behemoth as a savage grin formed on his face. The blood lust tank was empty and by dawn it would be full.

* * *

 **AN: Holy shit 4,902 words this chapter. Anyway thank you everyone for reading this story and thank you those who reviewed on it, expect a chapter for this probably next Tuesday or** **Wednesday... I dunno. This is a shit excuse for not finishing it but I was to busy playing Gears of War 3, Ryse son of Rome, Warframe, Layers of Fear, and Evolve. Originally this document was going to be another chapter for Remnants of a Golden Gear but I decided "hey people like this story and I can't disappoint them, so fuck it let's give them something to enjoy." so here we are. So remember to review I'm interested in what you guys have to say plus I need some ideas on the Behemoth and Gorgon because I have no fucking clue what their names are going to be. Anyways thank you all and I will catch you all on the flip side, have a good one.**


	5. Chapter 5: cuddles and classes

**AN: Thank you everybody once again for sticking around to read this and reviewing. It has come to my attention that I had left some things unsaid in the previous chapter and I'm here to answer some of them; mainly because I don't feel like putting it in the chapter (fucking lazy am I right?).**

 **withdranwnmadness000: Didn't consider it flame, I more or less considered it as a helpful tip. To answer your question about Ares' hair think of it as James Heller's buzz cut from prototype 2 but just a little longer. For Ares being able to read I'll have something planned for him and the siblings in the future so don't worry, and for the Behemoth and Gorgon I'll also have something planned for them as well. Anyways for the names I actually like Arachne for the Gorgon so I'll consider it as one of the top names to name her, but the Behemoth I'm feeling kind of iffy about, but overall thank you for pointing out some flaws and I look forward to reading more of your RWBY stories.**

 **dracohalo 117: Yeah you can tell me about the ideas I don't care; just no pairing ideas because I told one of my friends about it and she wanted me do a pairing and a lemon so I said "Yeah... no." so anyways feel free to shoot some ideas.**

 **animeandgamerlover2: As for the system I play on it's an Xbox One so sorry if you're a PS4 user.**

 **One last thing I promise; I decided to add the Elder Kraken in honor of one of my friend's late dad since he was like another father figure to me. So without further adieu let's roll on with the story.**

* * *

A yelp of pain echoed throughout the forest followed by the tearing of flesh and snapping of bone. A Beowolf's body slumped to the ground with its neck in an awkward angle and blood pouring out of it; Ares stepped over the body and stared at the rest of the pack as they slowly backed up and stared at him in caution. One Beowolf tried its luck and tried to lunge at him only for Ares to grab it by the neck and slowly squeeze it until his claws dug into its neck; the Beowolf tried to pry Ares' hands off its neck but stopped when it felt its throat ripped out. Ares let the body slump to the ground in a suffocating heap and glanced back at the rest of the pack who were backing away further while slightly whimpering, growling slightly at their cowardliness Ares charged the nearest Beowolf and lifted it above his head before bringing the grimm's back on his right knee drawing a loud crack from the grimm's spine. Ares threw the body at another Beowolf that tried to tackle him knocking it down, he then marched over to the Beowolf and curb stomped its head turning it into a mix of blood, brain matter, and skull fragments. He then looked at the remaining four of the pack that had twenty original members and smiled at them showing his razor sharp canines.

The rest of the pack decided that this monster was going to kill them if they didn't run, so they chose what any animal did when facing an apex predator... they ran. Ares snorted in amusement at these so called predators and turned to look at the academy. Sensing that it was almost dawn he decided to make his way back but not before grabbing the golden stinger of the Deathstalker he had killed earlier; on his way back he felt as if something was watching him, numerous occasions on Shear taught him that something was always watching you. Ares looked around and sniffed the air and caught a small trace of poison, dismissing it from staying up all night he made his way back to Beacon with a Deathstalker stinger in tow. What he didn't see was a figure slowly descend to the ground using webs as a rope and watch him leave before leaping back up into the trees and disappear into the night.

* * *

Arriving at the entrance of the school Ares pondered how he was going to get in without drawing suspicion; he noted that the dorm room window the girls and Ken resided in was to small to fit the stinger in and the front entrance was probably going to be crawling with students in a few hours. The back entrance seemed like the most logical solution but he noticed that there was a teacher patrolling there every so often when Rei, Ken, and him jumped out of the tower and explored the campus; sighing in annoyance he decided to go through the front doors and make his way to the dorm room. The halls were quiet and peaceful it was... nice for once; no wildlife trying to kill you, hunter trying to kill you, and scientist trying to capture you. That quiet and peacefulness only last for five minutes before a green blur sped through the hallway and knocked Ares into the wall.

"Oh goodness are you alright young sir?" A green haired individual asked in a fast voice. Ares shook his head before he got a look at the man in front of him; he had messy green hair, glasses, a white shirt that was partially tucked, a yellow tie, and mismatched shoes.

"Are you alright?" The man repeated. Ares nodded his head and began to make his way back to the dorm room only for the man to speed in front of him.

"Where are my manners, my name is Doctor Bartholomew Oobleck. And you are?" Dr. Oobleck asked quickly. Ares just stared at the man with a neutral expression and walked past him dragging the Deathstalker tail; Oobleck once again sped in front of Ares making him scowl at the speedster.

"Sir, I believe I didn't catch your name." Oobleck stated.

 **"Because I didn't, now leave me alone."** Ares huffed in annoyance drawing a confused look from the doctor.

"What type of language is that? It doesn't sound native." Oobleck observed while cupping his chin.

 **"No shit. Can you move so I can be on my way."** Ares growled.

"Hmm, what type of faunus are you? There aren't any recorded that have spikes on their backs and a barbed tail. Are you part of a lost tribe?" Oobleck quickly asked while getting closer to Ares.

 **"I'm a Goliath, now move before I move you."** Ares snarled while stepping closer to Oobleck.

"It seems you do not want me here at this moment." Oobleck mused.

 **"Holy shit! God gave this man some common sense!"** Ares replied sarcastically.

"Can I ask you a quick question?" Oobleck asked; Ares just sighed in annoyance before grabbing Oobleck's arms and lifting him up.

"Ohhh, is this a greeting gesture in your tribe?" Oobleck asked curiously.

 **"No, it's a fuck off gesture."** Ares replied setting the shorter man down before grabbing the Deathstalker stinger and walking off towards the dorm room.

* * *

Ares finally arrived at the dorm room and knocked a couple of times, hearing no reply he knocked a bit louder making somebody groan and open the door. He was met with a half awake Yang in black shorts and an orange tank top; she looked at Ares then at her scroll to see what time is was then back at him before shrugging and going back to sleep. Shrugging at her actions he came across a rather peculiar sight; Ken was sleeping in between Ruby and Weiss while Rei was snuggled against Blake snoring softly. Ares looked out the window and saw the sun was rising before looking back at the six individuals; he went over to Blake's bed and leaned over Blake to wake up Rei. She began to groan and shift in Blake's grasp as Ares shook her.

"Ares... go away." Rei groaned tiredly. Blake began to shift in her sleep and groggily wake up, only to catch a site of Ares chest near her face. She blushed a deep shade of red and tried to look away but for some reason her eyes always drifted back to them, she then noticed Ares' gaze and directed hers to what he was looking at. Rei was still snuggled against her and started smacking her brother's hand away to let her sleep more.

 **"Fine... I guess you don't want the shiny thing I brought back after all."** Ares said. Rei bolted upright startling Blake and making her quietly yelp in surprise making Ares look at her, she blushed at him as he gazed at her before snorting in amusement.

"Okay I'm up! Where is it?! Where's the shiny thing you brought us?!" Rei quickly asked while looking around.

 **"Not so fast baby sis. We still need to wake Ken up."** Ares said as he moved over to Ruby, Weiss, and Ken.

"Good luck with that, he seems really latched onto them for some reason." Rei said while going back to snuggling against Blake.

"Why are you still snuggling against me?" Blake asked.

"Because you're so warm~" Rei said as she rubbed her face against Blake's arm.

"Hehe okay, but for five more minutes only." Blake said while pulling the girl into a hug.

"Awwww but why?" Rei groaned.

"Because we have classes for today." Blake explained in a soft tone.

"Ugh fiiiiinne." Rei huffed, "Ares how do you plan on waking Ken up?" Rei asked.

 **"Don't know I haven't thought about that ye-"** Ares stopped when he looked back at Rei.

"What?" She asked.

 **"Why are you cuddling her like that?"** Ares asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Because she's so warm~" Rei said. Ares looked at her with a deadpanned expression then at Blake with the same expression.

"H-hey don't look at me like that. She just won't let go." Blake said waving her hands. Ares just rolled his eyes before setting them back on Ken and them. He sighed wondering how he was going to do this: One option is he could just do what he did with Rei but that would take to long, another option is what he could do yesterday and scare him but he could harm the two around him, the final option is to threaten to take the giant stinger away. After giving a quick thought he chose the third option.

 **"Ken wake up or I'm going to take the shiny object away."** Ares brusquely said. Ken bolted upright startling Ruby and Weiss awake making them look around frantically before setting their eyes on the boy between them in confusion.

"Where is it?! Where is it?! WHERE IS IT?!" Ken said frantically before leaping out of the bed and jumping up to Ares' face and grabbing it before pulling it down so it was eye level to him. Ares slowly grabbed Ken's face and pushed it away from him before standing up to his full height.

 **"It's down the hallway because the thing is massive and wouldn't fit."** Ares explained

"Come on let's go see it!" Ken yelled while trying to pull Ares, "Why. Won't. You. Move?" Ken asked while struggling to move his brother even an inch. Eventually he gave up and slumped down to the ground after exerting himself to much from the pulling.

 **"Because Rei won't let go of Blake."** Ares replied while looking at the two before sitting in front of Weiss and Ruby's bunk; both of the girls laughing at the situation before them.

Ken looked at his sister, "Rei are you serious?! You're giving up the shiny to cuddle with her?!" Ken pretty much shouted.

"Yes!" Rei shouted in a muffled voice since it was against Blake's stomach.

"But whyyy?" Ken groaned.

"Like I told Ares. She's just so warm~" Rei said.

"Oh come on! She can't be that warm." Ken said in a matter of fact tone.

"Why don't you come over here and find out?" Rei challenged.

"B-because I don't want to." Ken said as he crossed his arms.

"I think you're just chicken." Rei replied back with a grin.

"I am not." Ken huffed.

"If you're not chicken then you wouldn't have a problem seeing how warm Blake is." Rei said.

"F-fine if I see how warm she is will you let go Rei?" Ken asked.

"Yes." She answered. Ken just rolled his eyes before going up to Blake and hugging her before realizing how warm she was and cuddled against her like his sister is doing.

"You're so warm~" Ken said as he nuzzled against Blake who groaned.

"Why is this happening to me?" Blake groaned as both younger siblings nuzzled into her.

"Blake that is so cute!" Ruby squealed as she pulled out her scroll and to take a picture.

"Ruby no!" Blake yelled as she tried to move.

 ***Click***

Ruby fist pumped at the successful picture and saved it. Ares' hand suddenly had a strange attraction to his face as they both met each other; knowing this could go on for hours (he should know he had to deal with it) he decided to help Blake out. Ares calmly walked over to the three and started to pry the siblings off of Blake who also helped.

"Nyuuuuuu" Rei groaned as she was losing her grip and finally let go before Ares threw her over his shoulder. Rei was easy to pry off... Ken on the other hand wasn't; Weiss, Ruby, and Yang (who had been silently recording the whole thing from her bunk) had to help pry Ken off who finally let go after his hands got clammy. Ares threw Ken over his shoulder just like he did with Rei to prevent them from going after Blake again.

"Alright you three you got to get out." Yang said while stretching.

"Why?" Ken asked.

"Because you three can't watch us change kid." Yang explained. Ares didn't need to be told twice and opened the door with the help of Ruby and walked out to let the girls change.

 **30 minutes later:**

The girls finally walked out of the room in their uniforms and saw that the siblings were waiting there. Ares had his arms stretched out while Rei and Ken were swinging from them while giggling. The four girls started laughing a bit at their antics before Ken finally noticed them.

"Oh hey guys!" He greeted while still swinging from Ares' left arm.

"Hey kid" Yang said with a grin, "Mind explaining to us why you're swinging from big man's arms." Yang said with a raised eyebrow.

"We usually do this when we're bored." Rei answered while swinging.

"How often do you do this?" Weiss asked.

"A lot. We do it for a long time too." Ken said while Ares just shuddered at the memory of them swinging from his arms for hours straight.

"Well anyways let's go get breakfast before it's gone." Blake said.

"Okay!" Ken said as he jumped down from Ares' arm and ran down the hallway while Rei did the same. A couple of seconds later the girls heard a scream and dashed down the hallway to see Rei and Ken with open jaws staring at something. The girls slowly rounded the corner and followed their gaze at the object they were staring at before their jaws dropped to the floor; around the corner was a severed Deathstalker stinger. Ares calmly walked around the corner to see that Rei and Ken saw the shiny object he had grabbed for them and smiled when they ran up to him; he leaned down so they could hug him.

"Ares! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Rei squealed in gratitude a she hugged him tightly.

"Yeah! Thanks big bro!" Ken had shouted while hugging him. The girls just stared at them before turning their attention back to the stinger.

"H-how is this here?" Ruby asked with wide eyes.

 **"I killed it and brought it here."** Ares said.

"Uhhhhh..." Ruby scratched her head not understanding.

"He said he killed it and brought it here." Rei translated. Ruby's eyes bulged at what Ares said before speeding up to his face making him back up.

"That's so cool! What weapon did you use?!" She asked excitedly.

 **"My bare hands."** Ares stoically stated.

"My bare hands" Rei translated in a similar expression as Ares trying to mock him; Ruby's eyes practically bulged out of her head at the person in front of her.

"So let me get this straight... you killed one of the most dangerous grimm types out there with your bare hands?" Weiss asked with a raised eyebrow. Ares just nodded his head at her question before picking his siblings back up.

"I don't believe it. And how did you dismember it and bring it here without it disappearing?" She asked; Ares just looked at her and shrugged before walking off to the cafeteria.

* * *

The six arrived at the cafeteria and Ruby and Weiss took the younger two to go get some food while Blake and Yang looked around for a table. The three found an empty table and sat at it while discussing a few things... well two were discussing the third was just had his head in his arms while slightly swaying his tail. Ares began tapping his claws against the table to alleviate some of the boredom while his siblings got their food. Blake and Yang noticed his impatience and decided to try to strike up a conversation with him.

"Hey Ares." Yang said grabbing his attention, "Where's your parents? Because I didn't see them with you guys." Yang asked him; Ares just stared at her with a neutral expression making her uncomfortable as he just gazed at her. For the next few minutes he just gave that soul piercing gaze that made her shift in her seat uncomfortably before she decided to speak up.

"O-okay I see that's a touchy subject and you don't feel like talking that's cool." Yang said nervously, "Just please stop staring at me like that." She pleaded. Ares just blinked a few times before looking in another direction and started his tapping again, he caught site of the four people from yesterday making their way towards them.

"Hey guys." Jaune greeted at the three.

"Hey vomit boy." Yang teased.

"When are you going to stop calling me that?" Jaune asked crestfallen as Pyrrha just patted his back.

"Hmm, probably never." Yang said happily.

"So where's Ruby and Weiss?" Pyrrha asked as she looked around for them.

"There in line with Rei and Ken getting breakfast." Blake answered reading her book.

"Oh, soooo did you guys do the paper for Oobleck?" Jaune asked trying to strike up a conversation.

"Oh crap that was due today?!" Yang shouted.

"Yes Blake, we discussed this two days ago." Blake said impassively flipping a page of her book.

"Shoot... Well time to copy of Weiss again." Yang shrugged, the rest just laughed. Ruby, Weiss, Rei, and Ken arrived at the table with food and drinks on their trays.

"Weiss. Paper for Oobleck. Now." Yang said.

"No. Why didn't you do it?" Weiss asked.

"Because I forgot and I wasn't asking. Yoink." Yang said as she snatched the papers from Weiss and began copying them down.

"Hey!" Weiss exclaimed as she tried to grab them back but Yang used her hand to stop the girl's advance. Rei and Ken giggled in amusement while watching the two girls bicker, they began shoveling the food into their mouths quickly before Ares had to slow them down.

 **"Slow down you two, it's not going anywhere."** He warned them as Rei began to eat more slowly but Ken kept up his speed.

 **"Ken I just told you to slow down."** Ares berated.

"But I'm hungry..." Ken groaned.

 **"I know you are, but if you eat that fast you'll get a stomach ache and have problems in the future."** Ares said.

"Fine..." Ken grumbled and began to eat more slowly. Team JNPR watched the three interact and wondered what language the older one known as Ares used, it didn't sound native.

"What type of language is that?" Jaune asked and Ares looked at him making him slightly shiver in his seat at the older brother's gaze.

"Oh... It's our native language I guess." Ken shrugged while shoveling food back in his mouth.

"That's cool, what's it called." Jaune asked.

"I dunno." Ken shrugged again looking at Jaune.

"Wait so even you don't know what it's called." Pyrrha asked causing Rei to look at her.

"Nope." Rei giggled as she looked back at her food only to frown.

"Ken did you take my food?" She asked as she looked at her brother.

"No, why do you always think I take your food?" Ken asked back.

"Because you're always the one to take my food when you think you don't have enough." She explained.

"Well it wasn't me this time. It was Ares." Ken said pointing his them to Ares who had a piece of bacon in his mouth, he then scowled at his younger brother.

 **"You little fucker."** Ares growled. Ken and Rei gasped covering their mouths with their hands.

"Language!" They both shouted in unison; Ares just rolled his eyes before swallowing the rest of the bacon piece. The two teams just laughed and began to discuss future assignments before the cafeteria doors opened. Ozpin and Glynda walked towards the two teams and quickly greeted them before saying they needed to speak to the three siblings privately; the siblings followed the two adults outside and began to discuss a certain matter with them.

* * *

Outside of the cafeteria Ozpin, Glynda, and the siblings were discussing the matter at hand.

"Due to you three being different ages I have unfortunately had to make a somewhat difficult decision, you three must be separated during your classes." Ozpin informed much to Ares' dismay as he started growling and placing Ken and Rei behind him.

"But what'll happen to Ares?" Rei asked.

"He'll attend our normal classes while you two will go with someone special." Ozpin explained.

"Who are we going with?" Ken asked them clinging to Ares' leg.

"You'll be going with the school's doctor Mrs. Miles. " Glynda answered, she then noticed that Ares had tightened his grip on the siblings and the younger two seemed to shrink back at the mention of the doctor. Ozpin noticed this as well and tried to mitigate the situation.

"Do not worry they'll be in good hands." Ozpin tried and noticed that the older brother wasn't budging, "If it makes you feel any better you can visit them periodically throughout the day." Ozpin said and noticed this seemed to have an effect as Ares' grip loosened and Rei and Ken relaxed.

"How often will he get to see us?" Rei asked.

"A total of three times a day." Ozpin said.

"...Okay I guess that's fine then..." Ken said quietly and looked up at Ares who looked down at the two.

 **"Alright... you two try to be on your best behavior okay?"** Ares asked as he knelt down to their level.

 **"Alright, we will."** Rei said hugging him, **"What if we're in trouble?"** She asked.

 **"Don't worry, if you're in trouble just run until you find me or scream for help and I'll be there right by your side and deal with the problem."** He said.

 **"You promise?"** Ken asked.

 **"Cross my heart."** Ares said while putting his hand against his heart.

 **"Okay we believe you."** Rei said as she and Ken hugged Ares before walking up to Glynda; Ares then walked up to Glynda.

 **"If they have a single scratch on them I'll hold you and your staff accountable and let me tell you I'll hunt every one of you down and rip you apart until you're nothing but a pile of steamy pile of flesh."** Ares threatened; while Glynda didn't understand any of it but she assumed it was a threat regarding the safety of his siblings and nodded before leading the children to the doctor.

"Do not worry Mr. Ares the doctor loves children they're in safe hands." Ozpin said. "While I would usually say this is where we part ways but I must inform you that this school enforces uniforms." He explained. Ares stared at the headmaster stoically for a few seconds before one thought came through his mind.

 _"You've go to be fucking kidding me."_ He deadpanned.

* * *

 **In Port's classroom:**

Everybody in Port's class was dying; not from being shot at, stabbed, or eaten by grimm but by boredom.

"But the mighty Nevermore was no match for my bravery and skill ha ha." Port laughed and began to tell another story.

"Is it me or does it seem like Port is extra boring today?" Yang asked as she set her head down in her arms.

"Yeah it does." Ruby replied, "Blake what do you think?" She asked.

"Yup." Blake answered reading her book.

"Will you three be quiet?! I'm trying to take notes." Weiss hissed looking at Port before quickly writing something down. The classroom door opened and drew the attention of everyone, stepping through the doorway stood Ares in a uniform although with some key differences. His blazer was unbuttoned and his shirt wasn't tucked in while his tie rested in his hands. His blazer and shirt has numerous holes in it from the spikes on his back protruding out and his pants had a hole in it for his tail to go through.

"Well you must be the new student I was informed of." Port mused, "Well since you're here you might as well take a seat." He said. Ares nodded and began to walk towards the girls hearing murmurs from numerous people and promptly ignored them as he took a seat next to Blake. The girls looked at him amusement as he shifted uncomfortably in his current attire. Port began to tell another story on how he took down a Nevermore; meanwhile while the rest of the student body fell asleep or began to look at their scrolls; Ares merely listened to the older man's story in amusement and took mental notes at the hidden teachings the man said in his stories.

"Alright young huntsman and huntresses who will test their might against the ferocious beast in the cage?" Port asked as no one raised their hands, "Hmm, mister Ares how would you like to battle the beast in the cage?" He asked. Ares just shrugged and walked towards the center of the classroom and stood there swaying his tail.

"Young man don't you want to change your current outfit?" Port asked. Ares just shook his head and gestured for Port to open the cage, Port then swung his axe down on the cage releasing the grimm inside. A boarbatusk walked out of the cage and saw Ares as its first target and squealed in fury at him before rolling up into a ball and shooting towards him. Ares sidestepped to his left as the boarbatusk rolled past him before uncurling itself to turn towards him; both of them glared at each other before the boarbatusk curled into a ball and began rolling towards him again. Ares then sidestepped to the right as it zoomed past him and collided with a wall, taking this chance he shoulder charged into it making it fall to the ground before he grabbed one of its tusk and broke it boarbatusk squealed in pain before it quickly got up and smacked Ares away with the remaining tusks. With the tusk still in his hand Ares waited for the grimm to roll again, as it began to curl up into a ball and roll towards its victim it was suddenly stopped and thrown into the wall leaving it dazed. While the boarbatusk was on the ground Ares marched up to it with its tusk in his hand and proceeded to stab it multiple times in the stomach before quickly stabbing it through the side of the head making the tusk come out the other side.

"Well if I do say so myself that was quite the show young man!" Port laughed twitching his mustache. Ares just shrugged at the man's behavior and walked back to his seat before sitting down next to Blake again. The team stared at him in awe and began asking questions.

"That was amazing!" Ruby whispered as she stared at him and he just shrugged at her.

"Yeah it was. You've got to show me how to do that." Yang said.

"While as brutish and uncoordinated as it was I must admit it was impressive." Weiss said as she went back to writing notes.

"It was good." Blake said reading her book.

"But before the Ursa had a chance to devour me I-" Port was interrupted when the bell rang. "Oh...well it seems my time is up. Have a good day students!" He laughed. The students filed out of the classroom and made their way to the next class. Due to him and his siblings only knowing team RWBY Ozpin decided to give him the same schedule (Fucking convenient right?) to help them better familiarize themselves with the school. The five then entered the next classroom and Ares saw the same green haired speedster he encountered in the hallway and tried to walk out only for said man to recognize him.

"It's you! Oh we have so much to discuss about the tribe you were part of!" Oobleck said excitedly.

 **"...Are you shitting me?"** Ares deadpanned.

* * *

 **Well it seems you all are enjoying the fuck out of this story so far and thanks for sticking with it. Now I know some of you are all like "When the fuck are we going to see Behemoth and Gorgon?!" and the answer is in the next three or four chapters. Sorry this chapter didn't have as much fight scenes or anything but let me tell you as the story progresses it's going to get bloody... I mean a lot bloodier than what it's meant to be, I'm talking about killing floor bloody. I forgot to say what outfits the three wore before coming to beacon... SHIT! Anyways this chapter ended on a short note and that's because it's near the fourth of July and I wanted to get this chapter out. Another chapter of Remnants of a Golden Gear and Evolution will be posted after the fourth; anyways remember to favorite, follow, and give positive reviews. I love you all and HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!**


	6. Chapter 6: Fights and talks

**AN: Well here we are again everybody, how're you all doing? Did you all have a good fourth of July (If you celebrate it)? Because I know I did. I'm a little late on the chapter update and that's because I got lazy and I've been on a battlefield one binge. Anyways thank you for reading this story and sticking with it up until this point; the next chapter for this should be up either next Thursday, Friday, or Saturday so fret not dear readers. Some reviews have caught my attention so let's discuss them now.**

 **dracohalo117: Okay, some of those things about the Gorgon I didn't know so thank you and I'll consider the name for the Gorgon.**

 **IAmPedobear: I'm a sir and thank you for the compliment; don't worry about me abandoning the story because I'm not. I don't like it when a story has so much potential and the author gives up on it, but they have their reasons so who am I to complain? As for the length of the story calm down bro, I just started this back in May and I'm still rolling with it so chill. I usually take a week or two to brainstorm a chapter that has over four to five thousand words in it (which is not as easy as it sounds).**

 **The-Challengerfortheunnatural- It's mark on the list so fret not.**

 **Now that the reviews are all discussed without further adieu let's roll on with the story!**

* * *

Ares stared at the shorter man in front of him with a look of contempt before sighing in annoyance and pushing him out of the way before taking a seat next to a short girl with rabbit ears on the top of her head. The girl was busy looking at her scroll she didn't see him walk up to her and take a seat next to her. When Ares sat down the shorter girl finally acknowledged him but had mistaken him for somebody else.

"Hey Yatsuhashi what are you doing here..." She drawled as she finally looked up at Ares who looked back at her in confusion.

"O-oh sorry! I t-thought you were someone else I know." She stammered out quickly while shaking her hands. Snorting in amusement Ares turned his attention back to the green-haired man that talked faster than a motor boat; he sighed as he listened to the man talk about a war. The girl next to him winced as something impacted the back of her head and tried to ignore it, but more objects impacted her head making her bend down to try to make herself small as possible. Getting fed up with the constant bombardment of pieces of paper flying Ares caught the last one before it hit her head and turned to see who threw it. His eyes caught sight of Cardin about to throw another piece of paper but stopped when he saw Ares glare at him making him put the paper down and pale. Growling in annoyance Ares turned his attention back to Oobleck before he felt someone poking at him to get his attention.

"T-thank you..." The girl said quietly. Ares just nodded in response before turning his attention back to Oobleck and began to write down some notes. The feeling of writing felt... familiar in a sense, like he had done it before. The rest of the class went by relatively fast and soon the bell rang dismissing everybody from class. Ares was following the girls to the lunchroom and saw Rei and Ken following a women in a lab coat into the lunchroom. As everybody walked into the lunchroom Ares walked over to his siblings and grabbed their attention.

 **"Hey you two."** He greeted.

"Ares!" They shouted in unison and ran up to him and hugged him.

"Hello, I'm Angela Miles, the school's doctor, pleasure to meet you." The doctor greeted politely extending her hand out to shake Ares'. Ares just stared at the doctor and took in her details; she had brunette had tied into a ponytail, baby blue eyes, her skin was pale as if it had never really got any sunlight and her body was pair-shaped. He then looked at her with a deadpan expression before ignoring her and turning to Rei and Ken.

 **"Did she try anything?"** Ares questioned.

"No she didn't." Rei answered.

"Yeah she's super nice! She gave us this thing to play with while she was helping somebody." Ken said while showing Ares the scroll. Ares stared at the object in his brother's hand then back at the doctor, she looked a bit sheepish and rubbed the back of her head.

"I thought that they would want something to play with while I worked with some patients. There's nothing bad on it, just some games that I have." Mrs. Miles explained.

 **"Alright... I trust you two when she says she didn't do anything, but I still don't trust her. Look, I have to go get lunch and I have one more class before I come pick you two up so bye."** Ares said before shooting the doctor a distrustful glare and walked off to go get lunch. Mrs. Miles looked shocked before turning to the two children before her.

"Did I do something wrong?" She asked.

"No, he just doesn't trust a lot of people and he's really protective of us. He'll warm up to you eventually though." Rei said.

"Oh... okay. Shall we get lunch children?" The doctor asked.

"Oh yeah!" Ken shouted and bolted for the lunch line.

"Ken wait for me!" Rei shouted as she ran after her brother. Angela just shook her head and laughed softly at the two children; she then looked at the older brother and noticed him glare at her from the corner of his eye making her shudder before going after the younger two to get lunch.

* * *

As Ares watched the doctor leave with his younger siblings his attention was turned back to the group he sat with, currently Ruby was showing him how to use a scroll while the others just watched and ate. The whole process of learning everything about it took only a couple of minutes, mostly because Ares just shook his head so she wouldn't have to stay on one thing for so long.

"Oh! And this takes you to the games and apps and this takes you to-" Ruby said quickly.

"Ruby, I'm pretty sure he just wants to know how to write on it." Weiss interrupted.

"Oh...well. You just go here." Ruby said showing him an app that had a notebook and pen icon on it, when he clicked on it a blank page came up and a keyboard appeared. He found this app to be quite useful when he was talking to anybody other than his younger siblings, he quickly made use of it by typing a message.

 _"What time does lunch end?"_ The message said.

"It ends in about ten minutes, so we should probably get moving." Blake said as she closed her book and stood up. Ares nodded and stood up as did the rest as they made their way to the final class of the day. The teams made their way to combat class just in time to see Glynda setting up the machine for picking the students to fight; it the room was to restricted in Ares' opinion, there was little to no room to fight or escape should the time come. Ares was brought out of his thoughts when he felt a shove against his shoulder and caught a glimpse of Cardin glaring at him from the corner of his eye; Ares looked at Cardin's hand and noticed it was healed but had a burn scar on it. He then caught a glimpse of Ruby waving at him from her seat while patting a spot, he took the invitation to sit next to her and began typing a message.

 _"What kind of class is this?"_ It read.

"This is combat class, one of the only classes that I really enjoy." Ruby replied happily. Ares perked up at the thought of fighting and quickly sported a hidden savage grin at the thought of fighting without getting in trouble. The thought of wiping that shit stain that dared to hurt Rei to the ground excited him; he could already feel the adrenaline pumping through his veins as he thought about crushing the boy's skull in, ripping his organs out, mashing his bones to dust, burning him alive, and so much more. By the time he was done with the boy he would look like-

"Um... Ares?" She started as he looked at her concerned face, "Are you alright? You're tail started moving fast." She asked. He nodded his head and quietly reprimanded himself for not paying attention. Ruby didn't look to sure when he answered her, it also didn't help that his eyes turned to slits and had a clouded look to them. Dismissing it for later she decided to ask the younger two about that next time she sees them.

"Alright class now that we are all here we'll start." Glynda said as she pushed a button and names started to be randomized for the fight.

"Cardin Winchester and Ares." Glynda said sounding a bit unsure due to what happened yesterday but continued anyways, "Please get your combat clothes and weapons." She added.

"I'll see you in the ring freak." Cardin sneered.

 **"Hehehe, I'm going to enjoy breaking you and when I'm done breaking you I think I'll eat you. I wonder how your flesh will taste after cooking in all that metal."** Ares chuckled, drawing a look of confusion from Cardin before going to get his equipment.

* * *

"So how do you think he'll do against Cardin?" Ruby asked.

"Considering what he did yesterday, I think he's going to mop the floor with him. What do you think Blake?" Yang asked.

"I think he'll do well." Blake answered while reading her book.

"What about you Weiss?" Yang asked.

"..." Weiss didn't say anything just had a fixed gaze in the air.

"Uhhh. Weiss?" Yang asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Y-yeah?" Weiss asked coming out of her trance.

"You okay there? You were kind of staring off into space." Yang said.

"Yeah I'm fine... did you guys notice how Ares looked at Cardin?" Weiss asked.

"No, why?" Blake asked.

"He had this look... like he was planning on doing something worse than fight him." Weiss answered.

"Now that you mention it, his tail started moving really fast after I told him this was combat class." Ruby said.

"I somewhat worry about this fight. I don't think he'll stop when Ms. Goodwitch calls the match." Blake said.

"Why?" Ruby asked.

"The only reason he stopped yesterday was because Rei and Ken were there to stop him. I feel as if he'll kill Cardin this time." Blake explained.

"He wouldn't really do that... would he?" Ruby asked fearfully.

"Nah, Ares is to nice to do something like that." Yang answered. In truth she was worried Ares would kill Cardin; as much as she hated Cardin he didn't deserve to have his life taken away.

* * *

 **:Five minutes later.**

Both boys stepped into the arena with their combat clothes on while Cardin sported armor covering most of his body with the exception of his head; Ares had nothing on but black combat pants. His muscles bulged out and glowed a deep red making some of the girls blush at him and some of the guys look at their muscles then groaned. Ares raised an eyebrow and looked into the crowd making the girls turn away with red faces and whisper among themselves while the guys glared at him in jealousy. Rolling his eyes he turned his attention back to Cardin who had his mace on his shoulder and was glaring at Ares, who chuckled and merely stared at him with a amused expression.

"Alright boys, you two will fight until your aura is in the red or until the timer is up." Glynda said as she pulled up the aura chart **(AN: I forgot what it's called so I'm just going to call it a chart.)** and immediately noticed that Ares had no type of aura once so ever. She was about to pick someone else but she noticed Ares' face, it reeked with anticipation and had a sadistic grin. Realizing she was wasting time Glynda motioned for them to begin and had her riding crop out just in case an incident like yesterday happened again.

Cardin wasted no time and charged straight at Ares with his mace raised above his head. Ares sidestepped quickly just as the mace smashed the ground and made a shock wave, he quickly delivered an elbow to the back of Cardin's neck stunning him for a few seconds then jumped back as Cardin's mace swung at his midsection. Cardin then slammed his mace into the ground creating another shock wave which sent Ares flying a few feet away before he dug his claws into the ground to slow himself down. Ares rushed at Cardin and tackled him to the ground before rolling with Cardin in his arms and threw him into the wall, Cardin dodged at the last second to see a clawed foot impact the wall where his head was. He slammed his mace into Ares' stomach making him fly back towards the middle of the arena, Cardin then rushed at Ares and slammed the mace at his face only to have it stop a few inches from it. Ares' tail was blocking the weapon before it suddenly whipped it away from its user, Ares then kicked Cardin in his stomach hard making him stumble back giving him some breathing room. As Cardin was still recovering from his kick to the stomach Ares took this window to jump up in the air and slam both his fist on Cardin's shoulders making him bend down, he then picked Cardin up so he was sitting on Ares' shoulder before slamming him back first onto the ground making a large crack in the ground **(AN: Imagine the powerbomb throw, which fucking hurts by the way.)**. Cardin groaned and coughed violently on the ground before he was lifted up into the air by his throat, he glared at Ares before spitting blood in his face. Ares just wiped the bloody spit off his face and glared murderously at Cardin before headbutting him, breaking his nose. He then threw Cardin high up in the air before grabbing both his legs and slamming him face first onto the ground. Cardin shakily got up and wiped the blood from his nose as his aura healed his broken nose and glared at Ares who glared right back.

"The winner is Ares. You two may go back and take a seat." Glynda announced as she saw Cardin's aura was red. She then noticed that her announcement fell on deaf ears as the boys continued to keep battle stances and then charged at each other.

 **"I was going to let you go until you spit in my fucking face. Do you have any idea how fucking rude that was?"** Ares asked as he sidestepped a punch and leaned back as a right hook passed his face.

"I don't even understand what you're saying." Cardin grunted as he threw another punch and missed again, "Stay still!" he shouted as he missed yet another punch.

 **"That is the stupidest fucking thing I've ever heard in my life. Nobody is ever going to stay still for someone to punch them, I think I might've lost some brain cells after hearing that."** Ares mused as he leaped over Cardin and landed behind him. Cardin then turned around to punch Ares only to have a giant hand grip his head and slam it into the ground before being thrown a couple of feet away. Ares walked over to Cardin and lifted his head up by his hair and laughed when his saw his nose broken again. Cardin then punched Ares in the face making him stumble back a few feet and went to deliver a left hook to him but found his fist in Ares' right hand; he then felt his fist being twisted making him fall to his knees. He looked up to find Ares raise his left hand and deliver a punch but found it engulf in a purple aura.

"That's enough!" Glynda shouted while aiming her riding crop at them, "When I said that Mr. Winchester's aura was red that should have been your cue to go back to your seats." She scolded. Cardin looked down somewhat shameful while Ares just stared at Glynda with a deadpan expression.

"What if you had killed him?" Glynda asked Ares who just continued to stare at her.

"I'm waiting." She said. Ares just stared at her before looking back at Cardin then back at her before shrugging. He heard sharp gasps behind him but ignored it and stared at Glynda before sighing and nodding; Glynda then released him and put her riding crop down.

"Due to this match taking longer than expected we will have no other matches today and-" She was interrupted when she saw Ares give Cardin a left hook to the side of the head knocking him unconscious and making him skid a few feet.

"Mr. Ares! What is wrong with you?!" She shouted. Ares just looked at her and gave a savage smile before walking back to his seat; as he was walking he noticed everybody seemed to scoot away from him and whisper among themselves.

 _'Ohhhh, I can smell their fear. It's so intoxicating.'_ He thought. As he sat down he noticed RWBY had mixed reactions: Ruby had a look of shock and horror, Yang pulled Ruby closer to her and shot Ares a glare which he ignored, Weiss had a look of distrust, and Blake stared at him like he was someone else. The bell rang and everybody filed out of the classroom as quickly as possible; Ares was the last one to go but was stopped when the doors shut in his face. Growling in annoyance he turned to see a disappointed and angered Goodwitch tapping her foot, she glared at him and he did the same thing right back.

"Do you have any idea what could have happened if you killed him?" Glynda asked, she noticed Ares pull out a scroll and type something on it before he tossed it to her.

 _"I would have killed him obviously."_ It read which she scowled at before tossing it back to him.

"That's the first thing. The second thing is that you would be trialed for murder and imprisoned and the third thing is that Rei and Ken would be put up for adoption." Glynda explained making Ares growl at the third thing she said; quickly replying back he then threw the scroll at her.

 _"I would like to see them try. The last people who tried to take them ended up dead."_ It read making Glynda's eyes widen a bit before she narrowed them at Ares and gave the scroll back to him.

"So you have killed before?" She asked with narrowed eyes. He typed something into the scroll and tossed it to her.

 _"Yes I have and I would do it again if the time came."_ The scroll read. Glynda sighed in annoyance and rubbed her temples before looking back at Ares.

"You can't do that here, we have rules that need to be followed. Think about Rei and Ken what would the think of this? They wouldn't approve of you killing people-" She started but was interrupted when the scroll was shoved in her face.

 _"Don't you dare bring them into this. I do this shit to keep them safe, they may not approve of some of my methods but as long as they're safe I don't care."_ It read.

"But you all are safe. We guaranteed that when we accepted you three in the school." Glynda said. Ares barked in laughter startling Glynda a bit at his reaction before she was handed the scroll.

 _"Bullshit, no place it ever safe. You think I want to stay here? We had no other place to go and those black wildlife creatures don't exactly stay around long enough to eat."_ It read. Glynda's eyes widened at the last part that she read before looking at Ares.

"You were thinking about eating the grimm?!" She exclaimed. Ares just raised an eyebrow before typing something on the scroll.

 _"Yeah I did and was going to but it disappeared to fast, guess I got to be faster next time. Half the stuff I kill I either eat or give to Rei and Ken to eat."_ It read. Glynda thought about what he wrote before her eyes widened.

"So that means you've eaten humans before?" She asked, Ares just nodded.

"And what about Rei and Ken? Have they done it too?" Glynda asked quietly and looked down furrowing her brows, she heard Ares type something on the scroll before it was put in her field of vision.

 _"They have... but they don't know because I cut the body up. Humans are our last resort of food and I don't target randoms either."_ The scroll read making Glynda raise an eyebrow.

"What type of people do you target then?" She asked with a scowl.

 _"Scientist that want us for something, soldiers that want us captured, hunters that want us dead, and others that deserve it."_ The scroll read cryptically. Glynda's eyes widened at the hunter part, who would want three children dead? She was about to ask another question but was interrupted when Ares shoved the scroll in her vision.

 _"We're from a kill or be killed environment and judging the fact that we're alive you can guess which one I had to do. Rei and Ken never had to experience any of it because I secluded them from it. I took the burden of experiencing it all so they wouldn't have to, I do this shit because I love them with all my heart. They're my only family and I would happily put my life on the line for them; if anybody is a threat to my family I won't hesitate to remove them from this world. Cardin was a clear example, he threatened my baby sister for no reason and bullied my brother by taking his food; that shit doesn't fly with me. But I swear on my fucking grave Ms. Goodwitch if you or Ozpin jeopardize my family's safety I will bring this establishment crumbling to the fucking ground and there will be nothing you two or anybody else will do to stop me. Do I make myself clear."_ The message threatened. Looking up Glynda could see the fire in his eye that showed he wasn't bluffing. She nodded and watched as Ares walked towards the door and exited.

Glynda sighed and took a seat at her desk rubbing her temples. She did this for a few minutes before pulling out her scroll and calling Ozpin, she waited for a few seconds before she heard him pick up.

"Ah, Glynda. What can I do for you?" He asked with a bit of cheer in his voice.

"It's about the siblings sir." She answered.

"What about them?" Ozpin asked.

"I'm worried about them." She said.

"I'm sure they have nothing bothering them Glynda, they're probably just getting adjusted to to the school." He replied.

"It's not that matter that I'm worried about sir. It's the environment they grew up in." Glynda said concerned.

"What has you troubled about it?" He asked seriously.

"Mr. Ares stated that they grew up in a kill or be killed environment, he also stated that different people wanted them for different reasons." She stated.

"What kind of reasons?" Ozpin asked.

"He stated different reasons such as scientist trying to use them for their own reasons, soldiers trying to capture them, and hunters trying to kill them." She explained.

"Hmm." Ozpin hummed.

"Sir I think we should have them psych test." Glynda proposed.

"While I usually disagree with you on most things, this is one such matter I must agree on. Although we should wait a bit until then." Ozpin said.

"Why is that? They need one as soon as possible." She argued.

"Glynda they just got here a couple of days ago. Throwing them towards a psychiatrist will only stress them out more." Ozpin reasoned. Glynda sighed knowing that there was no point in arguing with him anymore since he already made up his mind and just nodded her head.

"Alright... we'll give them a psych test in a few weeks." Glynda concluded and Ozpin hummed in response before hanging up. For the millionth time today Glynda sighed in annoyance and rubbed her temples.

* * *

Ares removed his ear from the door after listening to the conversation. She was worried about them? That's a first, doesn't matter in the long run though. He doesn't need anybody but his family; he had mixed feelings about everybody else though: Port was interesting and boring, Oobleck was annoying, Glynda was in the same category as Oobleck, Ozpin was hiding something, and Team RWBY... he had mixed feelings about them. Feeling a migraine coming on he rubbed his temples and made his way towards the infirmary.

When he arrived at the infirmary he came across a peculiar sight, Rei and Ken had stethoscopes and were wearing lab coats which were to big for them while listening to Angela's heartbeat while they had looks of awe on their faces. They had yet to notice Ares and began shout a bunch of medical nonsense, most of which they didn't understand. Leaning on the door he watched the scene unfold in amusement.

"Nurse Rei! This lady's heart has stopped! We need something to bring her back to life! Stat!" Ken shouted while holding a blank medical clipboard in the lab coat's sleeve due to it being to big for him.

"Aye aye Doctor Ken!" Rei saluted with the sleeve slightly smacking her in the face. She quickly grabbed a random purple drink (grape soda) and gave it to Ken who quickly grabbed it and opened Mrs. Miles' mouth and poured it in. The doctor then coughed before thanking the children in gratitude and wiping the soda from her mouth.

"Good job Nurse Rei! You deserve a promotion to super nurse!" Ken said.

"Thank you doctor. I will do the job of super nurse well." Rei thanked. The three in the room laughed before they heard clapping and turned around to see Ares standing there; Rei and Ken gasped before running up to their older brother and hugging him which he gladly returned. Angela just stood there awkwardly while shuffling her feet before deciding to speak up.

"I uh... decided to keep them occupied after finishing with my last patient." She said as Ares just stared at her before turning to Rei and Ken.

 **"Why don't you two go outside for a quick second. I need to talk to her for a minute."** Ares said.

"Yep. Can we keep these?" Ken asked the doctor who smiled in response and nodded making the two cheer and exit the room. Ares stared at the doctor blankly and Angela stared back but looked nervous.

"I-" She started but was interrupted when Ares raised a hand and started typing something on the scroll before handing it to her; she looked at the scroll and hesitantly took it from his hand and read it.

 _"You make them happy you know."_ It read.

"Well... it just came natural I guess. I couldn't just leave them bored." She reasoned and gave back the scroll.

 _"That's good. But let's get one thing straight, they're my siblings; not your kids, not your nephew or niece, not your students, and not your friends. They are my responsibility and mine alone."_ Ares tossed the scroll for her to read.

"I understand that they're not mine and I have no problem with that. But what do you mean they're your responsibility alone? Where are your parents?" Angela asked. She noticed Ares' expression grow blank and began to stare at her; minutes passed by and he didn't give any expression other than a blank stare. The room began to get uncomfortable as time passed by and the air was getting thick making her cough a bit, as she coughed Ares snapped out of his gaze before typing something on the scroll and giving her the scroll.

 _"That's none of your concern where they are. Don't think that just because my siblings like you means the same rule applies for me; I don't trust you in the slightest, but if you make my baby siblings happy then I'm willing to push a little of the distrust aside."_ The scroll read.

"I appreciate that you're willing to do that but you can trust me. I promise." Angela smiled. Ares wrote something on the scroll.

 _"Don't make a promise if you can't keep it. Goodbye doctor."_ Ares then pulled the scroll away and left the room leaving a slightly worried doctor standing in the middle of it. As she began to recollect her thoughts she felt her scroll vibrate; picking it up she answered it and was surprised to hear Glynda's voice on it.

"Good afternoon Glynda what can I do for you today?" Angela asked politely.

* * *

Ares was carrying his siblings in his arms while they rested their head on his shoulders. Apparently a few minutes after they left the room they fell asleep in the hallway still wearing the lab coats. Walking towards the dorm rooms he noticed a couple of people blocking his path while glaring at him and his siblings; three people brandished weapons and made it clear they were going to use them. Sighing in annoyance he found a comfortable spot to set his siblings down before standing ten feet away from the three and promptly stared at them while swaying his tail back and forth. This went of for a few minutes before one of the assailants charged at Ares and swung his spear-axe at him; Ares sidestepped to the right and delivered a left hook to his stomach making him vomit and gasp desperately for air. While the axe wielder was on the ground gasping for air another assailant that had a sword charged at him and swiped his sword at Ares' throat aiming to slice it open but found it blocked by pair of forearms. Ares winced in pain as the sword cut his natural armor and drew a little bit of blood making him stumble back a bit before growling and glaring at the sword wielder. The sword wielder went in for another slash but found his sword blocked with a maced tail and thrown away from him; he quickly looked up to see a pair of hands grab his face before it was rammed into a knee breaking his nose. The sword wielder found himself thrown onto the axe wielder and a foot impact his chest making him cough violently. The third assailant decided to go for an easier target, the sleeping siblings. The third assailant raised his twin daggers and swung the downward towards them and was rewarded with blood.

The dagger wielder laughed in triumph before he looked to see who he stabbed and his face lost any color it had before. Standing before him was Ares with both daggers in his forearms while glaring murderously at the next victim in front of him. There was only one thought going through the poor soul's mind.

 _"Shit."_ He thought before his body was filled with pain.

* * *

Ares wiped the blood from his face and marched over to pick up his sleeping siblings. He 'accidentally' stepped on one of the boy's legs, breaking it before arriving at the dorm room. Using his tail to knock on the door he heard hushed whispers before he came across Yang in her sleepwear.

"Hey big man. What took you so lo-" Yang stopped when she saw Ares' face covered in blood. Ignoring her suspicious look he walked over to Ruby's top bunk and set his siblings down before promptly dropping to the ground and closing his eyes. His eyes remained shut for a few seconds before he opened them and saw the girls giving him a suspicious look; he snarled in annoyance and decided to utilize his scroll.

 _"What the fuck are you all looking at?"_ It rudely read.

"For one language and two why are you covered in blood?" Yang said with narrowed eyes.

 _"Three assholes attacked me in the hallway so there's your answer."_ Ares typed.

"And who were they?" Weiss interrogated.

 _"I don't know and I don't care."_ Ares replied.

"Why didn't you report this to any teacher?" Blake asked.

 _"Because by the time a teacher would have came by they would've been dead."_ Ares replied.

"You killed them?!" Yang shouted making Rei and Ken stir in their sleep.

 _"No I didn't kill them. As much as I wanted to I didn't, I just left them a bloody pile of shit outside."_ Ares answered before typing something else on the scroll.

 _"I'm tired and pissed so can you all leave me the fuck alone?"_ He showed the girls and closed his eyes.

"No." This surprisingly came from Ruby making Ares crack his eye open and glare at her.

"No matter what they did you shouldn't have done what you did. You almost killed them and that's wrong." She said making Ares scowl before typing something.

 _"Wrong? It was wrong?! It was wrong of them to attack us when we did nothing in the first place! It was wrong of them to try to kill my family! So tell me little red do you still think I'm wrong for defending my family?!"_ The scroll read. Ruby froze when she read that the three attackers tried to kill them she didn't know that. She immediately felt guilty for yelling at him and tried to apologize.

"I didn't- She was interrupted when Ares raised a hand and typed something on the scroll.

 _"You what? Didn't know about that. The only reason I stay here is because of my family, and you all make them happy. Personally I hate it here, because this place is full people like you all that think they're invincible because you're going to be humanity's 'saviors'. Yet everybody here is blind to what the real world is, you all think you can save everybody and everything is going to be okay. No! The real world will throw everything it has at you to bring you down to the ground. So the sooner you all wake up and realize the world isn't black and white the sooner you'll realize how cruel the world is. You all say killing is wrong, what do you think you're doing to the grimm?"_ Ares asked before standing up and marching towards the window. Ruby teared up a bit and let a few drip before getting in the covers and going to sleep; Yang saw this and glared at Ares.

"Where do you think you're going?" Yang growled before she caught a scroll that almost hit her in her face.

 _"I'm going to kill something because everybody here put me in a sour ass mood."_ The scroll read before Ares jumped out the window and ran towards the forest. Silence enveloped the room for a few minutes before Blake decided to speak up.

"We should have just left him alone." She said making the girls look at her.

"Are you kidding Blake? He was covered in blood!" Weiss argued.

"Yeah but if we just left him alone he probably would have just told us in the morning." Blake argued back.

"I'm with Weiss on this one Blake. He drew a lot of suspicion when he came in covered in blood and the fact that he cared little to none when he was asked what if he killed Cardin raises even more." Yang added.

"You two saw how stressed he was when he walked in here. I'm not saying we weren't going to question him but we should have at least let him rest for the night." Blake reasoned. Yang just huffed in annoyance and got on her bed and went to sleep and Weiss did the same.

None of them noticed that the siblings were awake and listened to the whole thing.

* * *

 **AN: Well shit, that took forever in a day! Anyways thanks for sticking with this story and reading it; I don't really have anything to say other than I need a name for the behemoth (seriously, I fucking suck at naming things. Only reason I gave Ares his name was because I was playing God of War a few months back). That's all I have to say so remember to follow, favorite, and review. Love you all and catch you on the** **flip side, have a good one.**


	7. Chapter 7: Wild side

**AN: Welcome back everyone to another chapter of Evolution. I've been a sort of grind with writing all of a sudden, I don't know why. Don't have much to say other than review time.**

 **helkil: First, don't call it bullshit because it's fucking insulting and unnecessary; I get that there are some flaws in it but it's not bullshit. Second, if I want to let them have some human characteristics then so fucking be it. It's my fucking story not yours; you're not my parents, boss, or anybody else that has control over me so if you don't like it then leave. Finally, if you punch your computer then you do what makes you feel comfortable in life. If you don't like the story then leave, you have millions of other stories you can read on this site; I'm a fan of Evolve and RWBY which means my story _isn't_ canon. Plus there are stories where fucking grimm have human characteristics and can do shit humans can, so piss off.**

 **dracohalo 117: Thanks for reading and sticking with it, appreciate it.**

 **XCOMHEAVY12: Wow... I didn't mean to make you feel like a dick, my bad. It wasn't my intent to make you feel like a dick. You actually managed to think of an aftermath of what happened on Shear after the monsters went extinct, kudos to you man.**

 **GrimmKingOfAtlas: Holy shit! I actually didn't expect you to read this. I actually just started reading your story the other day. Anyways since you've added me as a favorite I'll try to keep you as a favorite; thanks for reviewing and keep up the good work on your story.**

 **Well that's all I've got to say other than if you guys have any negative reviews then keep them to yourselves because it's rude, unnecessary, and fucking childish. So if you don't like the story then please politely leave; I'm saying this from one respectable person to another.**

* * *

 **"Stupid fucking nosy ass girls."** Ares snarled as he marched through the forest, breaking everything in his path. A Beowolf tried to leap at him from his right but got its neck snapped as a result. His negativity began to draw grimm from all over the forest, making him the negativity hot spot. Ares stopped and looked around to see multiple Beowolves, Ursa, and a Deathstalker closing in on his position. He sighed in frustration and pinched the bridge of his nose before glaring at the creatures surrounding him; he swiftly dodged to the left as a Beowolf lunged at him from behind. Quickly getting up and charging the Beowolf, he grabbed it by the neck and sank his teeth into its throat making it flail around wildly. Ares then ripped his head back while the throat was still in his mouth and threw the suffocating Beowolf to the side; it held its throat to try and stop the bleeding but eventually gave up and slumped down. Spitting the throat out he looked at the Ursa that started to charge at him, its speed caught him off guard for a second when it smashed into his stomach and sent him into a nearby tree. He slumped down and quickly got up to dodge a clawed appendage, the Ursa swung again at Ares who caught it in his arms. He then sank his teeth into the arm and began to thrash his head around, sawing the Ursa's arm off. The Ursa roared in pain for a second before it was suddenly cut off when a clawed hand grabbed its windpipe; Ares then squeezed the windpipe and ripped it out, making the Ursa claw at its throat before falling to the ground dead.

The Deathstalker screeched at Ares and charged at him with great speed. He sidestepped the stinger then ducked under its claws when it to grab him; when he was under its belly he suddenly jumped up using the spikes on his back to penetrate the soft underbelly of the grimm. The Deathstalker screeched in pain and fell on Ares trying to crush him, it thought it won when it didn't feel anything until a massive pain erupted from under it. The pain eventually grew to its stomach making it screech in agony, it felt like there was something inside it trying to force its way out. Eventually its legs grew weak and it fell on the soft grass with a loud thud; its back started to bulge multiple times before it suddenly erupted in a shower of blood and gore staining the grass. Ares jumped out of the hole with the Deathstalker's heart in his hand and looked at it with wonder.

 **"It's so... warm."** He said as he gazed at it curiously. **"I wonder how it'll taste."** He added as he sniffed the heart and took a bite out of it. His eyes widened at the taste and he began to gorge on the heart; blood splattered against his face coating it like paint to a blank canvas. His eyes turned to slits the more he ate and he began to eat more quickly, trying to get as much of it as he could. When the heart was gone and only blood remained on his hands and face he began to quickly lick the remainder off and let the accumulated blood sit in his mouth to try and savor it as much as he could.

 **"That... was amazing. If this is what these so called monsters of the night taste like, then I think I've found a new feeding ground."** Ares smiled savagely. He quickly looked around and noticed that the other grimm were looking at him cautiously and began backing away when he advanced; he suddenly charged the closest Beowolf and tore out its throat with his teeth before swallowing it and licking his face to get the blood off. He began to tear into the Beowolf with his claws and started stuffing its flesh into his mouth quickly. Blood, organs, muscle, and pieces of bone entered his mouth and found their way to his stomach where they melted in its acids. The rest of the pack backed away from the one that was eating their pack mate and flinched when he turned his attention to them; his eyes were reddish orange and slits, his teeth glistened in the moonlight making the blood that dripped from his mouth shine, and his tongue slowly came out and cleaned his face. He got up slowly and marched to them and they started backing away but didn't get the chance when he took in a deep breath and blew a stream of fire at them, burning them to crisp. Ares then snapped off a piece of the burnt flesh from one of them and tasted it, his eyes widened when he quickly ate one of the bodies before frowning when the rest disappeared.

 **"The flesh taste so good, this hunting ground definitely suites my needs. If only I could find a way to bring some back to Rei and Ken, I'm sure they would just love the taste."** Ares said as he trekked further into the forest, he stopped when he looked at the sky and snarled in frustration when he saw it was close to dawn... wait! Today is Friday, which means he has all weekend to explore the forest. He just needs to get back to the damn school and finish those damn classes, honestly you don't need to go to school to learn how to kill. If you want to learn how to kill, just go out there get experience from getting in fights. Ares walked back to the school in a much slower pace, now that he learned that he could eat the wildlife here; he just had to get Rei and Ken ready for the day and deal with... the girls. A figure slowly descended from the trees.

"Quite the interesting fellow... I wonder what he'll do when he finds out I've been following him around. Oh, I do hope he puts up a fight before I wrap him up. I always enjoy prey that struggles." A figure giggled as they quickly jumped back into the trees leaving a burning puddle of green slime on the ground.

* * *

 **In the room:**

Rei slowly woke up and rubbed her eyes while yawning. She looked around and noticed that everybody was still asleep with the exception of Ares... he's been gone more than he has been before and it's worrying. At first she enjoyed him being gone because that meant she could do whatever she wanted to, but now it feels colder without him. She missed it when he would come back with something to eat and entertain her and Ken about the fights he got in, the different wildlife he would encounter, or just sleep with him; knowing she'd see him in the morning. Rei sighed and quietly hopped off the bed, she entered the bathroom and tried to look in the mirror but couldn't due to her small height. Peeking out of the bathroom she saw that everyone was still asleep and went back in; she slowly put energy in her 'tails' and slowly levitated in the air to look at herself in the mirror. Pale skin, dark silver eyes, and silver hair; nothing out of the ordinary other than her being a half breed. She pondered how they got that way and began to recall when they...died.

"Why did we have to though...we didn't even do anything wrong." Rei said quietly as tears began to well in the corner of her eyes. "We were just playing..." She sniffled. Her sniffles became soft crying as she levitated back on the ground and sat on it, she brought her knees up to her chest and cried in them; she didn't notice someone kneel in front of her until they said something.

 **"Rei?"** She heard Ares say and looked up quickly before wiping away the tears.

"O-oh hey Ares. I was just cleaning my eyes from dirt." She tried to lie making Ares give her a stern look.

 **"Rei, don't lie to me. Why were you crying?"** He asked.

 **"I wasn't crying. There was dirt in my eyes and I was wiping them away."** She smiled, Ares saw through her lie.

 **"I'm your older brother Rei, I know when you're lying. I just want to know why you're crying."** Ares said. Rei looked like she was about to tell another lie but sighed and looked at Ares sadly.

"Ares...why did those people kill us?" She asked surprising Ares for a second before he sighed.

 **"I don't know Rei. Maybe it's because they're violent psychopaths with nothing better to do than hunt monsters."** Ares answered sadly. Rei didn't say anything and began to cry again, she felt Ares wrap her in a hug and squeeze a little bit making her hug back. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he picked her up and began to sway in a back and forth motion, he did this for a few minutes making her sobs become sniffles. She put her face in the crook of his neck and closed her eyes; she eventually fell asleep in his arms but still kept a tight grip on him as if he would disappear any moment.

 **"I got ya baby sis... I got ya."** Ares said as he kept swaying back and forth. He went back into the room and sat down in front of the bookshelf, leaning on it while humming softly. He looked over to Blake and saw her look at him and blush a deep red before looking away quickly and setting her head on her pillow; dismissing it as one of her weird antics he turned to Rei and noticed that she began to shiver and made his body glow red, generating heat for her; she eventually stopped shivering and snored softly. His eyelids began to grow heavy and vision started to blur, he slumped his head down and rested it on Rei's before closing his eyes and falling asleep.

* * *

 **Morning:**

Ares slowly opened his eyes and looked around to see everybody up and getting ready. He noticed that Rei wasn't in his arms and Ken wasn't anywhere to be seen until he heard the bathroom door open; he saw Rei and Ken with towels around them and their hair damp. They noticed him up and quickly ran over to him and sat next to him, leaning on him and closing their eyes.

 **"Any reason why you two are leaning against me?"** Ares asked.

"We just cleaned ourselves and you're warm." Rei said sleepily.

"What she said." Ken agreed just as sleepily. Ares just laughed a bit before closing his eyes and leaning against the dresser, this only lasted a few minutes before somebody decided to interrupt his sleep by lightly kicking his foot.

"You got to get up big man." Yang said without much emotion in her voice. Ares sighed and picked up his siblings and set them on Weiss' bed before entering the bathroom. When he entered the bathroom he looked in the mirror and noticed how he was covered in blood; wasn't that supposed to disappear when the grimm died? Dismissing it as another weird thing that this world has, he entered the shower and began to let the water wash away all the blood and dirt from his body; the water was cold but that didn't matter since he could raise his body temperature. He looked around and saw a tube of white sludge (Shampoo) by the nozzle and picked it up; looking at it he opened it and smelled it. He recoiled with a scrunched up face at the smell when he accidentally squeezed it and it splashed against his chest.

 **"Dammit I hate this white crap! What the hell is it?"** Ares said angrily as he wiped the stuff off his chest. When he finally got the white sludge off of him he noticed another jar of sludge; this one was green and instantly drew his attention to it. He picked it up and smelled it and instantly like the scent, it reminded him of the forest. Getting a large amount and pouring it on his body, he began to spread it all over to try and get as much of it as he could to mask the scent of blood on him. His shower ended when the cold water eventually got to cold and made him growl in response; he exited the shower and saw that some clothes were sitting on the sink.

 **"How the hell did these get in here...you know what? I don't care how they got in here."** Ares said as he picked up the clothes and began putting them on. He saw a note underneath his shirt when he picked it up and frowned when he read it.

 _Here's you clothes. Classes start in about 20 minutes so you better not be late, and apologize to Ruby because she isn't being her usually happy self. So apologize or else_ -Yang. Like hell he was going to apologize to her; she was one of the ones to get pissed off at him for defending his family. If she had just let him go to sleep like he wanted to then she wouldn't be in a solemn mood, not his fault she can't take the truth. Didn't matter though he had stupid classes he needed to attend to and a forest to explore later; he just needed to get through the day, shouldn't be to hard right?

* * *

Oh how wrong Ares was about the day not being hard. The moment he entered Port's classroom everybody glared at him; apparently Yang had told everybody what he said to Ruby and that immediately made his reputation go down, not that he had one to begin with nor cared about one. He only had a couple of problems with everybody's new found hate for him: One, he couldn't get anything done because somebody decided to take his shit. Two, people would actively try to make him late which ended up getting him a session of detention. The final thing, is that he isn't allowed to each in the lunch room for some odd fucking reason which made him hungry and when he gets hungry, he gets feral. Right now he was in Goodwitch's classroom with a scowl on his face sitting next to her since somebody thought it was funny to pull his seat when he was about to sit down...they didn't think it was so funny when he broke their legs.

"Alright class this is the last match for the day." Glynda stated as she randomized the chart. Ares and Yang's names popped up on the screen, the whole class went quiet. Ares stood up and twisted his neck making a loud crack that made the audience shudder at the sound; Yang just cracked her knuckles before shooting Ares a small glare. Both of the opponents headed to the armory to get their weapons and combat clothes...well Ares just went to go get his pants while Yang got her huntress gear. Five minutes later both of them came out and stood across from one another; Ares glared at Yang while swaying his tail back in forth while Yang glared at Ares while flexing her fist. The audience didn't dare to speak in slight fear of either of them turning their anger on them, no one dared to piss off fire dragon Yang or the monster known as Ares. Goodwitch saw the tension between the two start to rise so she decided to begin the match.

"Begin!" She said making Ares bolt towards Yang and leap at her. She quickly sidestepped him and threw a left hook at his stomach making him wince in pain. Ares tried to swipe at Yang, only to have her duck under it and uppercut him in the chin throwing his head back. He then jumped back as Yang gave a low sweep kick at him; Yang rushed at him and spun around to elbow him but failed as Ares caught it and kicked Yang's leg making her go in the air for a second. He then grabbed Yang's leg and spun her around before throwing her across the arena making skid before she got upright and used her feet to slow herself down. Ares jumped up in the air and smashed the ground before him making the crowd confuse, he then took a large piece of rock and threw it at Yang who smashed it with her fist. Ares used the momentary distraction to run on all fours and charge at Yang who barely had anytime to vault over him and watch as he collided with the wall, creating a smoke cloud. The arena went quiet for a second before a stream of fire erupted from the smoke making Yang dodge to the right, she could feel the heat just brush her skin even though she was a few feet away from it. Yang then fired all of her Ember Celica shells into the smoke and heard a pained roar emit from it, she smirked a bit until she saw Ares come out of the smoke with bullet holes in him and blood slowly leaking out.

"I-I didn't mean to-" Yang said but was interrupted when Ares shot off at her and shoulder charged her into the nearest wall. All breath in her lungs left her body as she fell to the ground and coughed violently; she was suddenly tossed up in the air and smacked with a barbed tail, launching her across the room. Yang slowly got up and placed a hand on her right knee, his hits hurt...a lot. Yang saw she was in the red and placed a hand on her knee to stabilize herself and took a few deep breaths until she heard footsteps getting closer to her and looked up. Ares gripped her by the throat and lifted her up, bringing her eye level to him; she could see the anger in his eyes. He began to tighten his grip on her throat making her wheeze and gasp as she punched him in the face to try and make him loosen his grip on her throat but it only made him tighten it.

"Mr. Ares!" Glynda shouted, making him look at her. "Release Ms. Xiao Long this instant!" She commanded. Ares looked at her then at Yang who was still struggling in his grasp before throwing her into the stands and storming out the room snarling. Yang coughed and gasped while her team tried to help her up, she eventually caught her breath and sat in her seat. The whole class didn't say anything, they could hear stuff being smashed in the distance and a violent roar echo from the hallway making everybody shrink.

* * *

 **A few weeks later: (AN: Unnecessary time skip I know, but I can't have the whole story take span within a few days.)**

It's been a few weeks since the fight between Ares and Yang, and needless to say everybody's been steering clear of him. After that day since he fought her and won, everybody's been either to scared to try and go near him or usually end up in the infirmary for trying to test him. Right now he was sitting at the lunch table with his siblings and Mrs. Miles (Someone he had grown somewhat accustomed to), since he wasn't welcome at the table with RWBY and JNPR right now.

"Hey Ares, how come we can't sit with everybody else?" Ken asked while shoveling a bunch of meat in his mouth.

 **"You two can, I'm not. It's because I beat Yang's ass and put numerous people in the infirmary because they tried to test their luck with me, and what did I tell you about eating so fast?"** Ares scolded making Ken eat more slowly.

"But I mean it's not the same without you with us when we talk to them." Rei said as she ate a hamburger, well the meat anyways. Her and Ken have been eating more meat lately and it's a little concerning; it must be near that stage when they evolve.

 **"They don't like me because I said something to Ruby and didn't apologize. Then Yang told everybody making them immediately hate me because apparently Ruby is some star student or whatever."** Ares said as he shoved a large piece of steak in his mouth. Ares ate the rest of his food quickly and set his head down in his arms; he hasn't been feeling good lately. He's been vomiting up this black sludge a few hours after he eats and his senses are going haywire, one moment they seem to sharpen then the next they seem to dull to the point where he can't even function.

"Hey Ares? When do we get to evolve?" Ken asked making Mrs. Miles look at them curiously.

"Evolve?" She asked. Ares was about to tell his siblings not to tell her anything but he was already to late.

"Yeah, as we get older our bodies seem to go through a rapid mutation to where we have more things." Ken explained making Ares slap his face.

"What kind of mutations?" Mrs. Miles asked.

"Well, it depends on what species you are. Like Ares' spikes on his back grow bigger and he grows larger when he evolves. Rei can warp faster and she can create copies of herself." Ken explained making Rei go wide eyed.

"Wow... that's fascinating. What type of species have these mutations?" Mrs. Miles asked.

"They're-" Ken was interrupted when Ares slammed his hand on the table making him shut up; looking up he saw Ares with a slightly agitated expression on his face.

 **"Ken...stop."** Ares said sternly.

"Why?" Ken asked.

 **"Because I said so. She doesn't need to learn every little thing about us; she's not mom or dad and she's certainly not _them._ " **Ares said. Ken was about to argue until Ares said something. **"If you don't tell her anything else then I'll take you two exploring with me tonight."** Ares said making Rei and Ken go wide eyed.

"Will you really?!" Rei gasped, Ares nodded in response making her cheer.

"Sorry Mrs. Miles we can't tell you anything anymore." Rei quickly said as she quickly ran out the lunchroom excited with a confused Ken in tow. Ares turned to Mrs. Miles who had a confused expression on her face and began to type something.

 _"You don't need to know everything about us, so don't bother asking anymore questions. The only reason Ken told you something is because he's young and doesn't know any better; and as for what I promised them is taking them exploring."_ Ares typed and handed the scroll to her; she read it and handed it back.

"Why're they so excited about exploring?" She asked.

 _"They're young and like being free, something I want them to be. They like exploring and discovering new things with me, but they can't do that since we're being constricted by this place."_ Ares typed.

"Well...I guess I'm sorry you can't explore more." Mrs. Miles apologized. Ares snorted and walked out of the lunchroom, he brushed past a blonde haired boy with a monkey tail and a blue haired boy; both gaped at his size before walking in the lunchroom.

* * *

 **Later that day:**

Ares was in the bathroom vomiting up the black sludge that's been bothering him for a few weeks. He spit the last of it out before flushing the toilet and watching the water swirl along with the sludge; it seemed to get thicker as time progressed and it made it harder to hide. He exited the bathroom and saw the girls and his siblings talking to the same blonde haired monkey boy and the blue haired one. The blonde one was the first to notice him and walked up to him with a smile.

"Sup big dude, I'm Sun." Sun greeted while holding out his hand. Ares stared at the hand with a stoic expression before slowly shaking it and quickly letting go; the blue haired one decided to introduce himself.

"Hey man, I'm Neptune. You should put on a shirt, might catch something." Neptune joked and lightly slapped Ares' arm, making him scowl.

"You shouldn't do that." Ken warned as he hung upside down form the side of Ruby's bunk.

"Eh, why?" Neptune asked.

"Last guy who did that got his arm ripped off." Ken said while using his tail to swing. Everyone went wide eyed at what he said and looked at Ares who only stared at Neptune with a stoic expression while swaying his tail.

"Y-you really didn't do that right?" Neptune laughed nervously.

"Yeah, he did. I watched it happen too." Rei said as she played with Blake's hair. Neptune visibly paled and slowly backed away from Ares who continued to give him a neutral expression, eventually he blinked and looked away and ignored everybody's expressions towards him.

 **"You two ready?"** Ares asked making Ken and Rei smile.

"Oh yeah!" Both of them shouted as they climbed up on Ares' back, confusing Sun and Neptune. Ares walked towards the door and turned around before suddenly dashing towards the window and leaping out making the two boys scream.

"Did he just do what I think he did?!" Neptune shouted.

"Yeah he did! I mean it would be cool except for the fact that he had his siblings on his back." Sun said. He noticed how the girls didn't really react that much and raised an eyebrow.

"Why aren't you four concerned?" He asked.

"We've seen him do it numerous times before." Blake said.

"Really? He does this stuff all the time?" Sun asked.

"Yep." Blake just said. Silence enveloped the room for a few minutes before Neptune spoke up.

"Sooooo...where does he go?" He asked.

"We...we really don't know. When he usually comes back it's around dawn and he's always covered in blood." Ruby said making the boys suspicious.

"So he comes back covered in blood and what? Just falls asleep?" Sun asked.

"Pretty much." Yang said. The room went quiet again as everyone began to think about Ares and his nightly hunts.

"You think we should follow him?" Sun asked out of the blue.

"What?" Weiss asked. "Why would we do that?" She asked again.

"I don't know maybe because you all told us that he goes out during nights and always comes back covered in blood. For all we know he could be murdering people." Sun said making the girls think.

"I mean he did almost kill Cardin and his team a few weeks ago." Yang said.

"See? All the more reason." Sun said as he gestured towards the window. "Plus if he is then we can stop him." He added making the girls think about it.

"Should we guys...I mean he's probably just really protective of his siblings so maybe that's why he's mean." Ruby said.

"Ruby, even when they're not around him he's always mean. Plus, I feel like he's hiding something from us." Weiss said.

"Why do you think that?" Neptune asked.

"I remember about a week ago he was in the bathroom vomiting this black stuff and then snarling in the mirror." Weiss answered making everyone raise an eyebrow.

"Black stuff?" Blake asked.

"Yeah, I don't know what it was because he flushed it down the toilet, but when I confronted him about it his eyes changed to slits and he growled at me." Weiss finished.

"All the more reason to follow him!" Sun exclaimed making Neptune face palm. "Who's with me?" He asked.

"I'm in." Yang grinned.

"Me too." Ruby smiled.

"I'd like to know more about him and that black stuff." Weiss said.

"Nah." Blake said as she opened a book.

"W-what why not?" Sun asked.

"Because it's none of my business." She said.

"Blake if you don't come then I'll tell your secret." Yang grinned.

"What secret?" Blake asked. Yang went by Blake's ear and whispered in it making her blush and cover her face with her book.

"Will you come now?" Yang grinned.

"Yes I will." Blake said quickly as she pushed past everyone. "Well come on, we're not going to find him just standing here." She said as she walked out the door.

"What was that about?" Ruby asked.

"Don't worry about it. I just use it as blackmail." Yang smile mischievously.

"Okay...well anyways. Let's go find out what's been up with Ares! Team...I got to think of a team name." Ruby said making everybody roll their eyes.

* * *

Ares ran through the forest at top speed making Rei and Ken laugh loudly, it felt so good to finally be out in the wild. Where they belong. Ares saw a river up ahead and put some energy in his legs before leaping over the river making Rei and Ken laugh some more and cheer; he missed this feeling.

 **"You two having fun?"** He asked as he leaped over a rock.

"Yeah!" They both replied happily as they clung onto his back as he ran at his top speed. Ares ran for about an hour before the three came across an open space and stopped to stare at the moon, they lied down on the ground and proceeded to gaze at the moon and its pieces that were broken apart from it. The three lie there in silence for a few minutes before Ares started to cough a little bit; eventually his cough became more violent to where he had to sit up to try and get some oxygen in his lungs. Rei and Ken looked worried at each other before they went up to Ares and started to pat his back some, though this didn't seem to help him any...in fact, it made his coughing worse. His coughing went from dry to wet and he began to retch out a black sludge that pooled around the area in front of him. He tried to stand up but ended up falling on his knees and started to vomit violently on the grass, staining it with a black tar-like substance that seemed to build up the more he vomited.

"Ares!? Ares!? What's wrong!?" Rei shouted worriedly. She looked at Ken and noticed that he had a terrified expression on his face when he looked at her, it actually scared her. She had seen Ken scared before but he never had a terrified expression on his face and it frightened her. She looked back at Ares and screamed when she saw his eyes start to turn black; the sludge became a thick ooze like substance.

 **"Stay...back!"** Ares coughed as he pushed them away. His vomit started to come out more violently and in greater amounts; he suddenly fell backwards and the ooze shot out of his mouth like a geyser. Ken went to Rei and pulled her back when she tried to get close, they suddenly jumped when the ooze started to melt to Ares' skin and encase him in it. The ooze began to harden a little bit and started to pulsate when it fully encased Ares' figure.

"W-what was that?!" Ken shouted as he started to pace back and forth while staring worriedly at the black cocoon as it moved around every so often.

"I-I don't know. Maybe he was just evolving?" Rei tried as she sat down and stared at the cocoon.

"How!? He's already a stage three!" Ken yelled making Rei jump.

"I don't know then!" Rei cried as she let tears well in her eyes. Ken stood there for a few minutes before taking a seat next to her and staring blankly at the black mass in front of them.

* * *

 **One hour later:**

An hour... that's how long they sat there before the cocoon started to move around; they began to stare at it curiously as it began to grow in size. It started to jerk around and vibrate intensely, as if something was trying to force its way out of it. A spike suddenly jutted out of it making a small hole and growing in size; eventually more spikes came out of it and began to grow like the first one. The cocoon started to stretch as a tall figure stood up from within in, it then made a loud tearing noise as the figure inside tore its way out of it. A loud bestial groan came from within as the cocoon finally gave away and tore apart, making a wet splat as it hit the ground. Rei and Ken's eyes widened when they saw their older brother in his original form come out of the cocoon.

"Ares?" Rei said as she stood up, he looked at her before reaching up to his head and peeling the rest of the slimy cocoon and throwing it to the side. He crouched down to her level and stared into her eyes; dark silver ones met reddish-orange ones as they stared at each other. His breathing was deep and heavy; he blew out a plume of smoke from his nostrils making Rei's hair sway in it. The two stared at each other for a minute before Rei suddenly hugged his head; he closed his eyes and let her hug him as tight as she could. He opened his eyes when he felt Ken join in on the hug and squeeze as tight as he could, the three stayed like that for about five minutes listening to nothing but the heavy breathing of Ares before letting go. The lied down on the ground and rested his head on his palms before closing his eyes and listening to the chirping of crickets and other nightly wildlife. The sounds of the forest seemed to relax him greatly and made all of his stress from the past few weeks melt away; Rei and Ken looked at each other before going by Ares' snout and leaning against it while looking at the broken moon.

 **"It's been a while since I've had a peaceful night lounge."** Ares said with his eyes still closed.

 **"You never had one on Shear?"** Ken asked.

 **"Not really, was always trying to keep you two from getting hurt."** Ares answered as he shifted a little. Rei and Ken smiled at him before closing their eyes, they basked in the quietness for a minute before all three of them heard a noise coming from the bushes. Ares shifted his head towards the bushes and glared at them, trying to see what was in there. He stared at the bushes for a minute before returning back to his original spot and making his body glow a deep red to provide some heat to his younger siblings as they leaned on his stomach; he heard shushed whispers and acted like he was sleeping to lure the attackers closer. He shifted his hand and whispered to Rei and Ken who were hiding away from the strangers facing Ares' backside.

 **"You two get in my hand and stay there until I let you out."** Ares whispered, Rei and Ken nodded and went into his palm and put there hands over their mouths to prevent any noise coming out. Closing his hand and shielding them away from any harm, Ares gave a deep rumble as he 'snored'. He heard the whispers getting closer and closer until they were right beside his head making him tense up when he heard who it was.

"What the hell is this thing?" He heard Yang.

"I don't know. Maybe it's some new type of grimm." Ruby said.

"Yeah, but what kind of grimm is over sixty feet tall and more importantly how do we kill it?" Sun asked. Ares made a fake sleepy growl when he heard the word kill, he'd be damned if he let a four nosy girls, monkey boy, and a blue haired dumbass kill him. He droned out most of the conversation and was actually beginning to fall asleep until he heard Ruby and Yang argue.

"Yang! What are you doing?!" She whispered.

"I'm getting a picture of this thing. If we take the picture to Ozpin then maybe he can get someone to kill it." Yang answered.

"That seems like the right choice, but if we kill it then we can probably get it dissected for future research in case there's more of these things." Weiss said making Ares internally snarl. Yang slowly got close to Ares and took multiple pictures of him, she got close to his face and snapped the last one as soon as his eyes opened. Yang was still looking at the camera when his eyes opened and waited to see the picture pop up in her gallery, when she opened the gallery and looked at the latest picture her eyes widened. She saw a reddish-orange eye glaring at the camera, making her look up to see the same eye glaring at her. She slowly backed up towards the group as they began drawing their weapons with shaky hands; Ares stood to his full height and glared down on them making them back up more. The moon made his shadow more imposing, making his eyes glow brighter and the light in his mouth light up more. Their eyes widened when Ares opened his hand to reveal Rei and Ken sitting there with hurt expressions.

"Y-you wanted to have him killed?" Rei asked tearfully.

"W-who?" Sun stuttered.

"Ares." Ken said, both teams looked at him confused.

"Kid...I don't see Ares anywhere." Yang said slowly as she stepped forward making them hide behind his fingers.

"This is Ares." Rei said. The teams looked back at the monster glaring at them and looked back at the two siblings, thinking they're hallucinating.

"Okay. We'll just call Ozpin and have him deal with the monster and take you two back to your brother, cool?" Sun asked making Rei and Ken shake their heads.

"No it's not cool! This is Ares!" Ken argued loudly making the girls jump back in surprise. Never had they seen the younger brother yell at anyone.

"Okay, okay. It's Ares if you two come with us then we'll-" Weiss said but was interrupted with a loud screech and the ground rumbling. A Deathstalker came crashing out of a nearby cave and charged at the group; the students aimed their weapons at the advancing grimm and began to fire trying to slow it down. They noticed a large hand advance towards them and jumped back as it set the two younger siblings down. Blake tried to approach them but stopped when they flinched away from her and hid behind a tree, she turned when she heard a loud roar and saw the giant monster roar at the Deathstalker, who screeched in response. Both charged each other and clashed making the ground shake a bit when they did; the Deathstalker screeched as it thrust its stinger at the monster who sidestepped to the side and grabbed it. The monster then twirled the stinger around his arm and spun around, taking the Deathstalker with it before releasing and throwing the grimm. The Deathstalker smacked against a large boulder and flipped on its back, flailing around to try and flip over. The monster jumped high in the air and smashed its fist on the unarmored underbelly of the grimm making it crack; it then began tearing its claws into the Deathstalker's body and tearing flesh out. The grimm screeched loudly before it was cut short when a giant boulder smashed its head to mush; the monster threw its head up and let out a loud roar. The teams watched as the monster began to eat the carcass of the now deceased Deathstalker and began to talk among themselves.

"We should leave while its feeding." Neptune whispered.

"But what about the kids?" Weiss asked as she looked over to the younger siblings.

"They're obviously hallucinating. I mean they're older brother is probably looking for them now, plus if we get these pictures to Ozpin then he can send a team of fully fledged hunters after this thing." Sun said.

"I don't know...I mean they seemed pretty convinced that the thing was Ares. Maybe it is and we're wrong." Ruby said.

"If it was Ares then he was hiding the fact that he can turn into a giant monster but for now I don't believe that he can, so let's get out of here and tell Ozpin." Yang said as she went over to Rei and Ken who hid behind the tree as she approached.

"Hey." Yang said as she knelt down to their level. Rei and Ken didn't say anything and just receded further behind the tree when she got closer.

"Guys, a little help here." Yang said as she turned to the group.

"Kid look, I know you think that's your brother but it isn't. Your brother is probably trying to find you two out here, so if you come with us then we'll probably find him on the way back to Beacon." Neptune tried making Ken give a low growl, shocking the girls.

"It is Ares, this is what he looked like since we hatched." Rei said making the two teams confused.

"I'm pretty sure you were born through live birth, not hatched." Weiss said.

"No we hatched, Ares told us so." Rei retorted making the students scowl. Everybody was getting fed up with their stubbornness and decided to be assertive to convince them.

"Alright, look you two. Whatever you may think about that thing back there is, drop it. It's not Ares or anything else; so come with us now." Neptune said as he grabbed Ken making him struggle, Yang grabbed Rei and held her in a tight grip to avoid her from using her talons to cut her.

"Let me go!" Ken shouted as he flailed around to try and escape Neptune's grip.

"Stop struggling!" Neptune shouted before screaming in pain as Ken sunk his teeth in his arm and ripped up, tearing some of his flesh out. Neptune dropped Ken and held his bleeding wound and sinking on his knees; he tried to stop the bleeding by using his sleeve. Ken ran up to Yang and used his body as a battering ram to throw her off a little bit. Rei used this opportunity to plant both of her feet on Yang's stomach and push off of her; she then used one of her talons to slash Yang's chest, drawing some blood.

"AH!" Yang screamed before looking back at the two with red eyes, "What is wrong with you!?" She shouted while holding her chest to stop the bleeding.

"YOU! WE TRIED TO TELL YOU THAT THAT'S ARES BUT YOU DIDN'T LISTEN!" Rei shouted as she began to levitate making everybody back up a bit. "WE ALSO KNOW THAT YOU'VE BEEN THE ONE TO MAKE THESE PAST FEW WEEKS HARD FOR HIM! HE GOES OUT MORE, LEAVING US ALONE AND SCARED. DO YOU KNOW WHAT'S IT'S LIKE TO HAVE TO CONSTANTLY WORRY ABOUT YOUR FAMILY KNOWING THERE'S A POSSIBILITY THEY MIGHT NOT COME BACK TO YOU, HUH?!" Rei shouted as her body began to glow and she began to breath heavily.

"Okay, just calm down Rei. We didn't know about the stress we've been putting on him...so just calm down a bit okay?" Blake said slowly trying to make the younger girl calm down. It didn't seem to work since she was still floating and began to glow brighter; her hair seemed to come alive since it was all over the place making her small figure imposing. Ken saw what was happening and grabbed Rei's hand making her direct her fury on him, but had no effect on him.

"Rei...calm down. So what if they don't believe us, it's not like it matters in the end...maybe Ares was right years ago...maybe all hunters are just psychopaths wanting to erase us." Ken said as he looked Rei in the eyes making her slowly levitate to the ground and fall on her knees, she began to sob in her hands.

"Why do they want to kill us? All we want to do is survive...I just want things to be the way they were when mom and dad were still here." Rei cried. The six teens looked at the younger two kids and tried to advance towards them but stopped when Ken snarled at them and raised his wings before slamming them down, creating an electrical explosion that made them jump back. Ken gently put Rei on his back and began to walk towards Ares. He stopped when his feet were encased in ice making him look back to see Weiss have her myrtenaster planted in the ground. Ken stared at her blankly before sucking in air and blowing out a vortex mixture of air and electricity, sending all of them flying back and hitting trees.

 **"Ares!"** Ken shouted making the older brother look at him then at the teens.

 **"What happened to you two?"** Ares asked as he quickly made his way over to them and knelt down to their level.

 **"They tried to take us away from you. They kept saying you weren't our brother since you were in your original form..."** Ken answered making Ares snarl and march over to the teens who scrambled to get up but was stopped by Rei.

 **"...Can we just leave? I... I don't like it here anymore."** She said tiredly making Ares clench his fist then sigh, as much as he would love to eviscerate the ones who tried to take his family, he couldn't. He needed to get them out of here first, and knowing the old man in the tower he probably sent people to come get them.

 **"Yeah, we can...come on."** Ares said as he lowered his hand and lifted it when they got on. He started to walk away into the night but felt something hit his back making him whirl around to see everybody aim their weapons at him. Looking at his siblings and seeing a safe crevice in a piece of wood, he gently placed them next to it.

 **"Get inside and stay there until I'm done. Big brother's got to take care of some pesky hunters."** Ares said as he turned around and stared at the hunters-in-training.

"Listen monster. Those kids are coming with us; now I don't know what kind of stuff you put them on to make them think you're their brother but we're taking you down and rescuing those kids." Neptune said as he changed his weapon to a trident making Ares snort in amusement.

 **"Such brave words coming from a blue haired pussy that's scared of water. To think you actually managed to charm snow bitch is quite the wonder, even though you have no respect for women. I'm still going to enjoy making you scream."** Ares said as he jumped at Neptune and smashed the ground making everybody dodge to avoid the debris. Ares smashed his tail at Sun who jumped on it and started to run up his body, smacking any point that seemed like a weak spot. He was suddenly thrown off when Ares grabbed him and smashed him into the ground making a spiderweb of cracks appear in it; before he could smash him into the earth a shard of ice encased his hand before it could impact the teen. Ares turned to see Weiss wave her weapon around before suddenly shooting off and striking Ares' legs, trying to weaken him a bit but had no effect. Ruby was firing sniper rounds at Ares' head making him shield his face to avoid being blinded by any shots and breathed out a stream of fire at her making her use her semblance to avoid being burned. Yang used Blake's ribbon as a swing and built up momentum before smashing her fist into Ares' knee, making him roar in pain and kneel down. They tried to use the same technique but failed when Ares grabbed the middle of the ribbon and pulled on it; causing Yang to fly into Ares' hand and be smashed into the ground hard. Ares raised his fist and swung down but was interrupted when a trident was lodged between his knuckles, causing him to recoil in pain and anger. He grabbed the trident and pulled it out before throwing it over his shoulder to disarm Neptune and rendering him weaponless. Ares spotted Neptune trying to run past him and retrieve his weapon and charged on all fours at him; he caught Neptune in one of his fist and brought him close to his face.

"Neptune!" Weiss shouted and ran forward to try and assist him but stopped when Neptune screamed in pain. She covered her mouth and gasped when she saw one of Neptune's arms being chewed off and ripped from its socket, causing the grass to be stained red. Ares threw Neptune against one of the trees and growled in satisfaction when he heard a loud crack come from his back and saw his figure go limp. Sun used his semblance to send two golden clones after Ares, who swatted them aside, and used his shotgun-nun chucks to fire multiple shells at Ares. Ares picked up a large boulder out of the ground and threw it at the teens; Yang used her semblance to smash the boulder and charge at Ares. She punched Ares in his knees forcing him down and proceeded to repeatedly hit him in the face, making blood fly out of his mouth. Yang delivered a round house kick to Ares face making him spit out blood to the side; Ares mixed some of his blood and his fire breath to create a smoldering sludge before spitting it at Yang, who jumped back as the sludge hit the ground and made it melt. Ares rose to his full height and jumped up in the air before letting gravity do its work and take him back towards the ground; he smashed the ground in front of everyone and sent them flying back and hitting the ground.

"Guys...what do we do?" Sun said as he struggled to get up.

"I-I don't know. Maybe we should try to get out of here." Ruby said as she used her scythe for support.

"And let it get away with harming Neptune? Screw that!" Sun yelled as he charged Ares, who stood yards away with an amused expression on his face.

"Sun! Wait!" Blake shouted and tried to run, but fell on her knees. Sun jumped over one of Ares' fist when he tried to smash him and ran up his arm. He combined his nun-chucks into a staff and leaped up to Ares face before grabbing it and smacking him anywhere that seemed like a weak point; he seemed to be doing some damage since Ares was growling. He stopped smacking when he felt Ares start rumbling and his growling had hitches in it; Sun came to a realization...he was laughing at him. This thing was laughing at him as if he was some sort of joke.

"You think this is funny?! I just lost my best friend and you're laughing?!" Sun shouted making Ares laugh more.

 **"He's not dead...yet. I gave you all a chance to walk away and you all attacked me, he fucked up. Just like how you did right now."** Ares laughed as he grabbed Sun suddenly with both of his hands and gave a tight squeeze.

"Sun!" Blake shouted and ran forward. She saw Ares open his mouth and approach Sun before he stopped suddenly making her confused; she paled when she saw a giant rocked arm wrap around Ares neck and squeeze tightly making him drop Sun. The girls ran over to him and dragged him away to a safe distance, they looked back at Ares and saw him thrash around while a giant arm wrapped around his neck. They took on a fearful expression when they saw an even bigger monster choke Ares until he stopped struggling and fell limp. The monster dropped him gently and waited to see if he was still breathing before turning its attention to the girls.

"W-what is that?" Ruby asked as she stared up at the monster. Its body was covered in rock and it had four limbs, two hind ones and two large front ones. It had multiple white glowing eyes that seemed to stare into their souls the longer they looked at it, it had a forked tongue that would occasionally come out and 'taste' the air. It stalked up to them, making the ground rumble every time it did and knelt down to their level. It looked at the girls and Sun then at Neptune's bleeding figure before it suddenly spoke, startling them.

"You better take care of your friend." It said in a deep baritone voice.

"W-what do you mean?" Ruby asked.

"I mean the one that's bleeding out over by the tree." It said and began to walk away but stopped and turned around to look at them from the corner of its eye. "You six should have left when you had the chance." It added. Weiss, although terrified, marched up to the giant beast before her.

"And why would we do that? For all we know you could be some new type of grimm." She said making the giant beast snort in amusement before it lowered its head down to her level, making her back up.

"Yes, because grimm can grow this large and have rocks for armor. That makes complete sense and it also makes sense that a grimm would eat another grimm." The figure said sarcastically.

"And why shouldn't we take you on or have a professional group of hunters take you on." Yang said as she got in a battle stance.

"One, I saved you from a pissed off older brother. Two, By the time you send a message for help you'd already be in my stomach acids. And last but not least, I'm pretty sure you're headmaster wouldn't believe you since you went outside the boundaries where there are any cameras and you went past curfew." The figure listed off as it looked at the moon. The girls raised an eyebrow at the mention of the older brother.

"The younger two were telling the truth about him being their brother. I watched him transform myself and let me tell you six made the worst mistake of your lives." The monster said in a low tone making the girls shiver.

"Why?" Blake asked.

"Goliaths are known for their savagery in battle. They alone can take down a heavily fortified civilization in a single night and cause hundreds to thousands of lives to be lost." The monster said making the girls pale. "And let me tell you girls something...you messed with one of the worst ones." It warned.

"W-wait so you mean-" Ruby started.

"You picked a fight with the savage skinned Goliath; a Goliath so savage that it sends fear into other species." The monster said making the girls shiver. It looked at the sky and smelled the air for a quick second before growling slowly.

"Hunters." It seethed before picking up Ares and throwing him over its shoulder.

"Where are you going?!" Weiss shouted.

"Somewhere you won't find us. All we want to do is survive and we can't do that with you humans always killing everything...and you better help your blue-haired pussy of a friend before he bleeds out. He has maybe an hour since the wound is slightly cauterized. I won't kill you since it'll draw more suspicion to us but heed my warning, do not try to follow us because if you do then I'll kill you and everyone you care about." The monster said before slamming its free hand into the ground and creating a giant stone wall, blocking the girls. It turned to Rei and Ken who hid in one of the fallen tree stumps and lowered its body close to the ground.

 **"Come on little ones, we haven't got much time before the hunters arrive."** It said as offered its free hand. Ken and rei stared at the hand before looking at the monster's many eyes.

 **"What did you do to our brother?"** Rei asked.

 **"I merely rendered him unconscious to avoid further conflict with those hunters. I'm taking you three to a... sanctuary as you call it. Trust me when I say this; there's no hunters there to harm any of you, only monsters."** It said. Rei and Ken looked at the hand before slowly reaching out and climbing aboard, the monster raised its hand above its head and dropped them off on it. The monster began to make its way deeper into the forest and sunk down to hide its tracks from other hunters; it felt a tap on its head and tilted up a bit.

 **"Yes?"** It said.

 **"What's your name?"** Rei asked.

 **Brock... Brock the Behemoth."** It said as it-no he trudged through the forest while listening to the night music come from the various wildlife.

* * *

 **I don't know how I feel about this chapter. Some part of me says it's fine and another part says to delete it and write again, but that's just me. It feels somewhat rushed in a sense and it makes me feel really weird; originally I was going to have RWBY and Sun and Neptune arrive at the scene when Ares transforms and gape in awe and fear at it but then I decided that's to... boring, like it didn't fit right. The time skips in my opinion were necessary because I didn't want the whole story to take place withing a day, seriously if the whole story takes place in a single day then that's a slow ass day. I decided to introduce the Behemoth in this chapter because for those who have been reading from the start and have been waiting, it's only fair I fulfill the request of those people and input the behemoth in the story. I honestly don't care if you guys write reviews anymore but I just have to say one thing... if you guys write reviews then don't make them asshole ones because it's rude and annoying. I write this shit as a hobby and I can stop just as fast as I started if you guys decide to be rude about the story. I already know I'm not going to impress everyone and that doesn't bother me but seriously, if you don't like the story the politely leave because it's really not that hard. Anyways don't let me keep you guys from doing your other tasks in life so goodbye and have a good one.**


	8. Chapter 8: New home

**AN: Hey there everybody and welcome back to another chapter of Evolution. Thanks for sticking with this story if you're an active reader or welcome if you're new here; anyways review time.**

 **GrimmKingOfAtlas: I was going to go the boring route of them discovering he was a monster and do the rest of the chapter where everyone else finds out, but decided against it. As for the grimm decomposition rate... think of it as the regular grimm class taking a tens of minutes to disappear while the older and bigger takes up to a couple hours at most to disappear. I also wanted the transformation to be somewhat like the game where they evolve; I just couldn't have them turn into a puff of smoke and then bam! They're monsters. Anyways thans for the review and #DicksOutForLarryTheGrimm.**

 **hornig3: You're welcome man.**

 **XCOMHEAVY12: Damn dude, that's a long ass review. I'm impressed though that you actually typed all of that and made a scenario. Anyways thanks for the review and keep up on those long ass reviews, I enjoy reading them.**

 **dracohalo117: Thanks man, appreciate it.**

 **Holy moly: Not an entire civilization but... somewhat of a group. I don't really think they would have an aura like everyone else on Remnant. One, because I want to make the story kind of unique and two, I feel as if you have to be a native of Remnant to have one. Anyways, thanks for reviewing.**

 **Sasha37: Thank you for the encouragement. I had the same thoughts about Ruby too, I felt as if I portrayed her character somewhat poorly. In all honesty I actually meant to make her conflicted about Ares' little wake up call on life, but I never meant to make her seem depressed. Sorry about that and thanks for pointing out my flaw.**

 **Now that all the reviews are over, I only have one thing to say... Let's roll on with the fucking story!"**

* * *

Ares groaned a bit and slowly opened his eyes before slowly looking around with hazy vision. He tried to sit up but growled in pain when he did; he waited till his vision cleared and brought his hands up to his face and noticed he was back in his hybrid form. He snarled in anger and sat up slowly before looking around to see he was in a type of room made out of stone, he looked down and saw he was on a bed made out of various furs and padding. Slowly getting up and standing with some difficulty, Ares walked towards the door and opened it slowly while looking out. He entered the hallways and walked towards a large area that looked like it was the main hall, he noticed that there was numerous rooms that was just a hole in the wall but no doors. Each room had a small bed and numerous decorations made from different plants, rocks, shells, and pelts from small animals. Ares was to busy looking at the different rooms he didn't notice someone hit him until the said person was knocked over. He looked down to see a child that looked to be around Rei and Ken's age staring up at him, he also noticed this child staring at him with wide eyes and scrambled to get up but stopped when Ares grabbed their tail and hoisted them up.

 **"EEP!"** The child yelped with wide eyes as they hung upside down. He stared at their features and noticed that the child was a girl, had spikes on her back like him, had brown hair and a scar running down the side of her right cheek.

 **"Who the hell are you? Where am I? Where's my little siblings?"** Ares interrogated making the small girl in his hands tremble terribly. She stood stock still as Ares lifted her so she was closer to his face making her eyes widen a bit. **"Now I'm going to ask nicely, one time. Where am I?"** He asked as smoke poured out of his mouth.

 **"You're in Tushwarha keep!"** The girl screamed making Ares look at her weirdly and look around before he looked at her again.

 **"Where?"** He asked.

 **"Tushwarha keep."** The girl repeated making Ares frown.

 **"I got that part. I want to know where it's-"** Ares was interrupted when a fist impacted his face, making him fly into a wall and shake his head. He slowly stood up and glared at the one who attacked him, he noticed it was a female that had blue hair and eyes, spikes on her back, a barbed tail that was missing a spike or two, pale skin, a long scar that ran from her right eyebrow to the right side of her mouth and had a scowl on her face. She looked to be around his age, maybe a year younger. The younger girl stood behind the older girls leg and stared up at Ares with a scared expression on her face.

"You mind explaining to me what you're doing harassing the young one?" She asked with a scowl that put Weiss' to shame.

 **"Yeah, trying to figure out where the fuck I am."** Ares said as he glared at her while she did the same.

"First language, and second you're in-" She started.

 **"I know where the fuck I am. I want to know what part of Emerald Forest I'm in."** Ares interrupted making the other Goliath scowl.

"Fine, you're in the deepest part of Emerald forest. Far away from that hunter school and a couple of hours from Vale; we're in a dug out hill that holds other inhabitants. Happy?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

 **"No, I'm not. Where's my siblings?"** Ares asked with a clenched fist.

"You mean those two sweet kids? They're with Brock outside with the others." She answered. Ares raised an eyebrow before clutching his side and growling, he ripped off the bandage and threw it to the side.

 **"Who the hell is Brock?"** Ares said as he knelt down to catch his breath.

"He's the one that choked you out to save those kids from you. I've got to say, he actually had to hold you for a minute before you decided to give up." She said nonchalantly.

 **"He's the one that stopped me from killing those fuckers?! Why?!"** Ares snarled making the younger Goliath hide back further. Ares looked at her before taking a few calming breaths and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Because if you would have killed them, then we would have been found. Let me tell you, I was about to castrate him for bringing you here and kill you for picking a fight with them." She scowled making Ares snarl and step closer to her; she didn't back up but actually got closer.

 **"You were going to take me away from my siblings?"** Ares growled.

"If we were discovered then yes." She growled back. The two were close to each other and glaring with pure murder in their eyes, the tension between them grew so much that the little Goliath in the hall had to intervene.

 **"U-um? C-can I go outside now?"** The little Goliath asked timidly. The female Goliath's look softened before she looked at the younger one.

"Yes, Mimi. You can go outside now; tell Ken and Rei that their brother is awake too." She said softly and watched as the younger girl quickly ran out of the cave before her look hardened and she glared at Ares making him snarl at her.

"Now, listen here and listen good." She said as she poked his chest. "We live in peace here and the moment you threaten that very peace, I will be there to take you down." She said as she glared at him.

 **"Just show me where my fucking family is."** Ares said as he waited for her to stop looking at him. She huffed at him and turned away, leading him in the direction of his family. He gazed around and took in the gaze of the interior of the cave system, he would be lying if he said it wasn't beautiful. The whole setting just felt like home to him and it made him reminisce about one of the cave he found on Shear; he sighed when he thought about his home world then growled at his final moments on it. They arrived outside and he was immediately blinded by the light, but quickly adjusted and heard laughter emit from in front of him. He saw his siblings playing with numerous other little ones and laughing while three older ones watched with smiles on their faces; none of them noticed them until the Goliath next to him spoke up.

"He's awake." She said making everyone look at them; Rei and Ken stared wide eyed before running over to him.

"Ares!" They both shouted in unison as they hugged him. He knelt down and hugged them back tightly before picking them up and letting them rest on his back, much to the wonder of the younger ones.

 **"What?"** He asked them.

"Nothing, just never seen two younger ones do that before." A muscular man with sandy skin tone answered. He was around Ares' height give or take a few inches taller, had white eyes that glowed a bit, hardened skin that seemed to be made out of pure rock, and a short stubby tail that would occasionally sway back and forth. He walked up to Ares and stuck his hand out.

"Hey man, I'm Brock." He introduced.

 **"I'm guessing you're the one who choked me out."** Ares deadpanned making Brock rub the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Heh, heh, yeah... couldn't think of any other way to stop you." He said sheepishly. Ares rolled his eyes and turned to see a pale skinned woman walk up to him; she had green hair, was slightly skinny (not overly skinny... think of her as fit), skinny razor sharp claws, a green eye and a milky white eye that had a scar running through it that signified some sort of physical trauma.

"Hello~" She said in a sing-song voice making Ares scowl at her. "I am Arachne! The divine spider goddess and persistent predator of the depths~" She sang making Rei and Ken laugh at her antics.

"That's quite enough child; I think he would like to catch up with his younger siblings now." An old voice said calmly, making Arachnee give a small pout before going back to play with the other young ones. Ares took in the old man's features and raised an eyebrow before returning with his neutral look. The old man had black hair that was slicked back with some red streaks in it, fair skin tone, glowing blue eyes that seemed to leave a trail of energy when he moved around, grey beard, wings that cackled with red electricity, and appeared to be using a stick for support. Ares knew the stick was for show as the older man didn't appear to have trouble walking, it appeared to be a sentimental thing.

"Where are my manners? I'm Mathias, but most of the children around here call me father for some reason." The older man greeted with a smile and stuck his hand out to Ares, who looked at it for a second before shaking it in a firm grip. Mathias let go of Ares hand and gestured for him to follow.

"Come, I have much to show you around here. Especially if this is your new home." Mathias said making Ares stop in his tracks.

 **"What do you mean our new home?"** Ares questioned making Mathias look at him before laughing a bit.

"Forgive me for not telling you earlier; you're younger siblings established this their new home already and we couldn't just throw you three out." Mathias said making Ares look at Ken and Rei, who sheepishly sunk further behind his back. Ares just sighed and gestured for Mathias to continue, the older man just laughed and continued to walk towards one of the many entrances of the dug out hill, passing by the female Goliath who eventually tagged along.

"Michelle, did you show him the main hall?" Mathias asked.

"No, but we did pass by it. I was to busy trying to get him to stop harassing a little one." Michelle answered.

 **"By sending me into a fucking wall."** Ares said making Michelle glare at him from the corner of her eye.

"Because you were harassing a little one." Michelle argued and began getting closer to Ares and poking his chest, making him scowl.

 **"I was asking her a series of questions."** Ares just said and glared at her shorter figure, despite her being at least a foot shorter than him, she still managed to make him recoil a bit when she poked him.

"You were being an asshole." She said.

 **"I was not."** Ares replied.

"Was too." She said.

"Children..." Mathias tried as he tried to stop them from arguing, he looked at Ken and Rei before gesturing them to stand behind him while the two Goliaths argued.

 **"Well maybe if you let me finish then I wouldn't be such an asshole."** Ares growled.

"I highly doubt that. You'd still be an asshole even if you were done, your siblings described you while you were out." Michelle growled back.

 **"Don't fucking bring them into this."** Ares said as he got closer to her.

"Well I wouldn't have to if you didn't harass Mimi." She snarled.

"Children..." Mathias said a little more forcibly.

 **"For the last time, I wasn't fucking harassing her. So stop saying it."** Ares snarled back.

"You were too, I saw it with my own eyes." Michelle said as she gestured to her eyes.

 **"Well maybe your eyes are going bad."** Ares said.

"You trying to start something, huh? Because we can duke it out right here, right now" Michelle said as she slammed her fist to her palm.

 **"So what if I am?! I'll gladly whoop your ass to get you to shut up."** Ares said as he raised his fist but stopped when Mathias slammed the stick into the ground.

"Enough!" He shouted, making his voice boom throughout the cave walls and startling the children outside. He breathed heavily and looked at Ares and Michelle before huffing and straightening himself.

"If this is what I must deal with from now on then I'll happily take my spot in the grave. You two are near adulthood and you're acting like children." He said as he looked at Michelle, who looked to the side "I thought I taught you to control your anger and act like an adult when the time comes, but all I see is a child again." He said then looked at Ares. "I don't know much about you but I can already tell you have trust issues, so drop them or we won't be getting along anytime soon." He added with force making Ares look in another direction. The five eventually began their tour again with no interruptions or arguments, needless to say it was a bit uncomfortable with the whole silence thing.

* * *

 **Later on:**

Nightfall quickly fell upon the large group everyone sat with the exception of Ares, who sat on the circled ledge of dining hall and watched over everyone. He kept a close eye on Rei and Ken as they talked with Mathias and laughed when he told them a joke, his eyes narrowed when a young Goliath threw his bone at Rei and laughed but later growled a bit when Ken threw his bone and snarled at the young Goliath. His smile eventually faded as he watched the younger ones eat happily and the four older occupants watch over them and eat while making small talk, they all seemed... happy. He slowly got up and backed up until he was out of the room and entered one of the hallways, he ventured around for a bit and exited the hallways and into the night. Ares walked over to the cliff's edge and sat on it, staring up at the shattered moon that always seemed to fill him with wonder. The cool breeze tickled his skin while the crickets chirped into the night sky, making him relax and sigh out of relief. He leaned back and lied down on the soft grass while closing his eyes and began to fall asleep until he heard that one person's voice he already had a hatred for.

"You know if you're going to fall asleep, you might as well do it inside." He head Michelle say and felt her sit next to him.

 **"What do you want Michelle?"** He asked tiredly while still having his eyes closed.

"Wow, even after a stern talk from Mathias about your attitude. You still act like an asshole." Michelle said making Ares scowl and turn away from her.

 **"Don't you have some little ones to look after?"** He asked.

"No, Arachnee and Brock are taking care of that." She said looking up at the moon. Silence enveloped them for a minute, eventually the minutes began to grow into an hour before Ares said something.

 **"Why are you really here Michelle?"** Ares finally asked making her sigh.

"Mathias told me to apologize to you." She said making Ares snort. "So... sorry." She added.

 **"You don't mean it."** Ares said sitting up and looking at the moon.

"What?!" Michelle said wide eyed.

 **"I'm not repeating myself. If you really meant you're sorry then you would have come to apologize to me willingly, not under Mathias' orders."** Ares explained making Michelle growl at him.

"Are you going to accept it or not?" She asked.

 **"No, I'm not."** Ares said said as he looked at her and snorted at her scowl directed towards him. Michelle sputtered an incoherent sentence before standing up and marching past him but not before smacking him in the back of his head with her tail.

"Tch, Asshole." She growled.

 **"You want to know something Michelle?"** Ares asked making her turn in his direction.

"What?" She growled.

 **"The reason I'm not accepting it is because I knew you would do something like this, say you're sorry then insult me. It's been what... half a day? And you already treat me like shit. If this is what I'm going to be treated like then I'll take my siblings and go."** Ares said as he stood up and stretched.

"Fine, see if I care." She said as she went back inside making Ares laugh.

 **"Oh, but you do care."** Ares laughed and lied down on the ground and fell asleep.

* * *

 **The next morning:**

"Ares wake up!" He heard Ken shout next to him, he then felt something soft impact his face making him furrow his brow before sitting up and look around. He saw Rei, Ken and some other younger monsters surround him and stare up at him in awe as he stood to his full height and look down at them. They all stared at one another before the children suddenly latched onto a different part of Ares' body; ranging from his neck down to his legs, one was even hanging onto his tail.

 **"You all mind explaining to me what it is you're doing?"** Ares asked as he lifted his arm to come face to face with his little sister.

"We woke up early and wanted to play. Now play!" She suddenly shouted making him recoil back a bit at her sudden outburst, he slowly let his arm down and let Rei slide off of it and hit her but on the ground.

 **"Alright, what do you want to play?"** Ares sighed making the children give cries of joy.

 **"T-tag."** A young Goliath said with a timid voice.

 **"No, hide and seek!"** A excited voice of a Wraith called.

 **"Duck, Duck, Goose!"** Another Goliath said.

 **"Hunting."** A Kraken said.

 **"That's not a game though."** Another Wraith said.

 **"It can be if we make it."** The Kraken retorted.

 **"I don't know why we're even up this early, we don't wake up for another hour."** A slightly agitated tone of another Goliath said tiredly as he rubbed his eyes. Ares immediately widened his eyes when he looked at the younger male Goliath, the one that threw his bone at Rei last night. He quietly went up to the young Goliath and stood in front of him while crossing his arms waiting for the younger one to finally notice him after rubbing his eyes. The younger Goliath looked up slowly and gulped when he saw Ares loom over him and give him a stern look while slightly tapping his left arm with all his right hand fingers.

 **"H-hi..."** The younger Goliath gulped.

 **"You mind explaining to me what you were doing throwing bones at my little sister?"** Ares asked sternly.

 **"I was uh... I was joking."** The younger Goliath said quickly making Ares kneel down to his level and stare into his eyes.

 **"You wouldn't happen to be lying to me, would you?"** Ares asked with an unblinking gaze making the younger Goliath shrink a bit.

 **"N-no I'm not. I was just joking around with her, right Rei?"** The Goliath quickly asked, looking in Rei's direction.

"I don't know Andy, it would be a shame if I said you weren't" Rei said while picking at her fingernail

 **"Come on! I was just joking, I swear!"** Andy cried. Ares looked at him a while longer before snorting in amusement and standing up.

 **"Relax kid, I was just messing with you."** Ares said as he ruffled Andy's hair making everybody laugh. Andy's face turned red with embarrassment and he turned away from everybody with a huff. Ken climbed on Ares' back and climbed up to his neck so he was sitting on his shoulders.

"But in all seriousness, what are we going to do." He asked as he stood on Ares' shoulders with perfect balance and looked out into the distance.

 **"I don't know, I'm pretty sure Michelle and them wouldn't be to happy if I took you all out without permission."** Ares said making the children groan and kick up dirt. Ares looked at the crestfallen children and sat down before an idea popped in his head making him perk up a bit.

 **"How about I tell you all a story?"** Ares asked making the children face him with confusion except Rei and Ken, who cheered and sat in front of him. They got so excited they stopped using their human language and asked in their native.

 **"Oh, which one is it?!"** Ken asked.

 **"Is it the one where you faced off against the tyrant?!"** Rei asked.

 **"Or is the one where you beat that Crowbill Sloth?!"** Ken asked.

 **"Ooh, ooh! Is it the one where you killed that pack of Trapjaws?!"** Reis asked again. The other children looked at the two in confusion and began to shrink back when they started to stand up while asking questions and Ken grabbed Ares' face. Ares put his whole hand in Ken's face and slowly pushed him away and sat him down.

 **"What about that time I killed that Dune Beetle?"** Ares asked with a raised eyebrow. Ken and Rei nodded vigorously and quickly sat down next to the others and listened intently as Ares began to tell the story.

* * *

Michelle groaned and cursed as she got up from her bed, she placed one arm behind the other one and stretched, drawing a sigh of relief from her. She looked around to see the hallways empty and no sign of the children anywhere, in fact it seemed no one was-

*SNORE*

It seemed there was at least one person was still in bed right now. She went over to Brock's sprawled out sleeping figure and stared at it with a deadpan expression before sighing and roaming the empty hallways. She eventually came across the exit and was blinded by the rising sun for a quick second; when her vision finally adjusted she saw the children all gathered around Ares and gave him their full attention. Michelle leaned at the cave entrance with a neutral expression as she watched Ares finish his story drawing gasp from the numerous children then a cheer as he finished the story.

"You know, this is the longest I've seen them sit still for something." Michelle said making everybody look at her, the children quickly got to their feet and rushed to hug her. She noticed that Ares just looked at her before turning to Rei and Ken who still sat down on the ground listening to their brother say something; they nodded and went inside, leaving him sitting alone on a rock.

"Why don't you all go inside and grab your things for the day." She said making the children nod and run past her. She looked at Ares and walked over to him before sitting a couple of feet away from him and staring at the cliff's waterfall; silence seemed to envelope them for a minute before Michelle decided to speak up.

"Are you ever going to talk or do I have to begin every conversation?" She asked him.

 **"..."** He didn't reply and just stared at the rushing water from the waterfall with a neutral expression. Michelle just sighed and stared ahead.

 **"You all have it here."** Ares said making her look at him. **"Space, wildlife to hunt, a family, and a future."** He said while still staring ahead.

"Yeah, so? We've always had it." She said. Ares didn't say anything back and just stared at the waterfall some more before looking at the lake below, he noticed it seemed to flow into a series of rocks before it connected with a river.

 **"Then you all live in heaven."** Ares said making her look at him.

"In what way do we live in heaven?" She asked.

 **"I just described it earlier, apparently your ears are going bad too."** Ares snorted making Michelle scowl.

"Never a dull moment with you. huh?" She deadpanned.

 **"Not really, can't afford to have one with Rei and Ken around me constantly."** Ares answered.

"What's the deal with you three anyways?" She asked.

 **"I'll tell you when I trust you more."** He said making Michelle look at him.

"You don't trust me?" She asked.

 **"I literally got here yesterday, it's going to take me a minute before I trust any of you."** Ares said as he stood up.

"Well, you got here two days ago." Michelle said making him look at her. "Brock choked you out so hard that it put you in a deep sleep." She added making Ares roll his eyes and walk towards the forest.

"Where are you going?" She asked.

 **"Hunting."** Ares said as he walked towards the forest.

"Why? We already have food here." She stated.

 **"It's a hobby for me, I enjoy a good hunt."** Ares said as he walked into the forest and disappeared into the brush. Michelle stared at the brush for a second longer before scoffing and turning around.

"Tch, asshole didn't even apologize." She said and felt a pebble hit the back of her head making her whirl around to face the bushes.

 **"And I'm not going to!"** She heard Ares yell from the bushes and threw a rock right back; flicking her tail ecstatically when she heard it connect with something that sounded like flesh and a loud curse from him.

"There's more where that came from!" She shouted into the bushes.

 **"From you or those curves?!"** Ares shouted back making her stop for a second, her eye twitched before she cracked her knuckles and charged into the brush and chase after Ares.

 **"Get back here so I can castrate you!"** She roared in her feral voice as she ran after him.

 **"The fuck is your problem with castrating people?!"** Ares shouted as he ran from the pissed off female Goliath.

* * *

 **A three months later:**

The last three months have been somewhat different for Ares, who was always used to being around his siblings and never anyone else. His bond with Michelle had grown some after she threatened to remove his manhood and beat him to death with it, although it was still strained a lot, they had grown. Brock and his relationship had grown also, he sees the older monster as someone he could talk to when he grew tired of watching the younger ones. Mathias had grown on him a lot, he saw the eldest monster in the group as a sort of fatherly figure who would do anything to keep the ones he cares about safe; he occasionally has talks with him every now and then. Then there was... Arachne. Never in his life would he be able to sit in the same room with her, she was just so... loud; her personality drove him crazy, her singing made him want to claw his ears off, and her sense of personal space was nonexistent. Mathias, Michelle, and Brock had to keep Ares from dismembering the spider monster of the group by tying him to a tree for a few hours until he calmed down. Right now Ares was sitting on a rock near the cliff's edge, sharpening a stick with his claws. He threw the stick into a nearby pile with other sticks that had been sharpened enough to pierce the hide of an Ursa; he grabbed another stick and began sharpening it with a good pace. He blew on the end of the stick to get rid of the wood chippings and threw it into the pile with the rest; he heard someone walking towards him and sighed.

"Ares, what are you doing?" Brock asked with a raised eyebrow as he looked at the sticks.

 **"Right now I'm sharpening sticks."** Ares said as he put the sticks in a pile and picked them up.

"I got that part but what are you going to do with them?" Brock asked as he sat on a nearby rock.

 **"Originally I was planning on using them on Arachne because for the love of all fucking life itself I want to mutilate her."** Ares snarled making Brock laugh.

"Oh come on, she's not that bad." Brock said making Ares scowl and point his finger to his right. Brock followed the finger and saw Arachne sitting on a rock humming to herself before she suddenly perked up and laughed a bit making Brock sweat drop.

"So, I'll admit. She's a little strange but that's besides the point, what were you going to do with those sticks?" Brock asked making Ares sigh.

 **"Fine, I'm using them as starting tools for the kids when we go hunting later on today."** Ares said making Brock go wide eyed.

"Are you kidding Ares?! Michelle would eat you alive if she found out what you were about to do! What about Mathias is he-" Brock was silenced when Ares put his hands on his mouth and glared at him.

 **"Shut up! You know how close Arachne and Michelle are, if she told her what I was going to do with the kids she would eviscerate me. And Mathias is alright with it because he's the one who proposed the idea to me."** Ares whispered and turned to see Arachne gone from her spot; he looked around to not see her anywhere but widened his eyes when she was sitting on Brock's shoulders with a sickly sweet smile.

"Hello boys~" She said as she leaned over Brock's head and placed her face close to Ares' making him back up a bit and scowl at her.

 **"What do you want Arachne?"** He asked making her giggle.

"I want to know what my favorite monster friends are doing." She smiled as her thighs tightened around Brock's neck, making him wince and shift. Her playful smile eventually turned into a sadistic one as she peered closer at Ares making him scowl at her, the two were in a deadlock and weren't budging.

"You mind explaining to me what you want to do with the kids?" She said in a suddenly sadistic tone, and tightened her hold on Brock making him start to pry at her legs.

 **"Something that doesn't require your attention."** Ares said in a serious tone.

"Is it dangerous for them?" Arachne asked, tilting her head while tapping the top of Brock's head with a finger.

 **"Can be if they don't listen to me."** Ares replied.

"And that is?" She asked as her grip on Brock's neck tightened immensely making him desperately claw at her legs.

 **"Hunting."** Ares just said with little emotion. Arachne's sadistic look dissipated and was replaced with her normal look as she let go of Brock and hopped off his shoulders, he quickly fell to his knees and gasped for air.

"Well why didn't you say so? I wouldn't be mad at that, hell it'd be good for them to learn, when we aren't here." Arachne said happily before suddenly zooming up to Ares' face in an instant. "Go easy on Mimi, she's kind of the runt of the group. Plus Michelle wouldn't be too happy if she found out something happened to her little sister." She added seriously before walking away while singing. Ares looked to see Brock still on the ground gasping for air and coughing violently.

"Why... the... fuck... did you... wait ... so long?" Brock gasped as he looked at Ares who had a neutral expression on his face.

 **"Count it as payback."** Ares said.

"For what?!" Brock cried.

 **"Choking me out three weeks ago."** Ares answered.

"Are you fucking kidding me?! You're still mad about that?!" Brock shouted.

 **"Hell yeah I am, you choked me out Brock! I was knocked out for two days!"** Ares shouted.

"Whatever... when are we going hunting?" Brock asked as he rubbed his neck.

 **"Correction, I'm going hunting. You're telling Michelle."** Ares said making Brock go wide-eyed.

"Bullshit! Why do I have to tell her?" Brock asked.

 **"Because I enjoy my manhood and you aren't doing anything."** Ares said.

"I was going to go too, come on man." Brock begged as he gripped Ares' shoulders and shook him back and forth. Ares frowned more and more as Brock's shaking got more excessive, he finally broke when Brock got down on his knees.

 **"Alright! I'll take you hunting with us... and get up you look pathetic."** Ares said making Brock jump up and cheer.

"Thank you man, you have no idea how much you saved me." Brock said.

 **"No, I don't and I don't care. Now hurry up before I change my mind, God I don't understand why you're so scared of Michelle. She isn't even that scary."** Ares said as he picked up the numerous sticks and handed Brock a couple of them.

"You haven't experienced her during _that_ season, same goes to Arachne. Mathias had to hide me from them until they got over their funk." Brock shuddered making Ares roll his eyes and scoff.

 **"Bullshit, you're just scared of her because she threatened to castrate you and that she's tougher than you."** Ares said as he went inside.

"Say what you want, when Michelle is pissed she's a total monster." Brock said.

 **"Aren't we all monsters here?"** Ares joked.

"Heh, I guess you're right." Brock laughed as he followed Ares inside.

* * *

The children were inside the main hall doing various activities, ranging from eating, to sleeping, and making little trinkets. Ken and Rei were making Bracelets made out of shells from the pond by the waterfall and put them in a pile of other bracelets. Some of the other children came over to the two siblings and peered over their shoulders and watched them make more of the bracelets, Mimi walked over and sat next to Rei as she made another bracelet and set it in the pile. Ken was making masks made out of smoothed stone and blue berries, he quietly hummed to himself as he took a plain stone mask and started painting it with the dye; he made a swirl design and placed it on the stone table to dry.

 **"What's this?"** Mimi asked as she held up a bracelet.

 **"A bracelet."** Rei answered while making another.

 **"Ohhh, so it's like the ones in all our rooms?"** Mimi asked.

 **"Yep"** Rei just said. The other children began to inspect the bracelets and masks that the two were making before they heard two people walk in, they turned and saw Ares and Brock carrying sharp sticks in their hands. Brock flashed his trademark smile at them while Ares just had a neutral expression before walking over to the table and dropping the sticks on the table.

 **"Each of you grab a stick and meet us outside."** Ares said and left the room.

 **"Nice art."** Brock complemented and dropped the sticks before leaving the room and following Ares. The children looked at the sticks then at each other before picking one up and leaving the cave but not before grabbing a mask and a bracelet on the way out. They saw Ares standing outside near the cliff's edge with his arms crossed while Brock just sat on a rock and stretched his arms before waving at the kids.

 **"Alright everyone, today is a special day."** Ares said making them all look at him curiously.

 **"What are we doing Ares because I want to go back to making bracelets."** Rei said.

 **"I'm going to teach you how to hunt."** Ares said making the children look at him with wonder before jumping when Ken and Rei suddenly cheered.

 **"Yes, finally! So what are we hunting?! Those wolves?! The bears?! That big scorpion thing?!"** Ken asked as he grabbed Ares' face once again.

 **"Ken, what is with you and grabbing my face?"** Ares asked.

 **"I don't know! I'm just really excited!"** He shouted.

 **"I can tell, we're not going to be hunting anything yet. First you all need to know the basics."** Ares explained. Mimi tentatively raised her hand.

 **"Yeah?"** Ares asked.

 **"Does Michelle know about this? Because she doesn't like me doing anything dangerous and she doesn't trust anybody except Mathias and Arachne."** She said making Brock face her.

 **"What?! Why not me?"** He asked.

 **"She said that you're to irresponsible, lazy, and dimwitted to actually do anything."** Mimi said nervously making Brock sputter.

 **"I mean Michelle kind of does have a point, you are pretty dimwitted."** Ares said.

 **"Shut up! I'm going to have a talk with her."** Brock proclaimed.

 **"And by talk, you mean put your tail between you legs the moment she threatens to castrate you."** Ares said.

 **"Dammit Ares! You're not supposed to say that in front of them!"** Brock shouted making the children laugh at his outburst.

 **"Anyways, aside from Brock being scared of Michelle. We're going to teach you seven to hunt because sometimes we probably won't be able to and it's up to you kids to take up the mantle."** Ares said making the children bounce around a bit. He began to lead everyone towards the forest and eventually found a good starting area to begin the lesson; he scowled when the kids began toying around with the sticks and using them to scratch their backs. Brock laughed at their antics making Ares face palm and drag his hand down his face, he then looked at Rei, Ken and Mimi who gave him their full attention before smiling at them.

 **"Hey, Ares? What's the first thing we need to learn about when hunting?"** Rei asked as she spun the stick in her hands.

 **"Well I always start with getting to know the prey you're hunting. What they eat, where they sleep, how often do they move, their defense mechanism; is it fight or flight? Either of those can play a big part whether or not if you're ready to take on that prey. Next is the tracking; you have to know where the prey goes and how often and long they go to that place. Then there's the planning, do you plan on using stealth or go all out assault to try and overpower them. The final part is my favorite part, the killing. Know how you're going to kill your prey, that is probably the most important part in my opinion."** Ares said making the children look at him with their full attention. Mimi raised her hand again with a little bit more confidence.

 **"Kid, you don't need to raise your hand to get my attention."** Ares said making her rub the back of her neck.

 **"U-um isn't the killing part of planning thought?"** She asked quietly making Ares stop for a minute before looking at her again.

 **"Damn, I guess you're right. Good job."** Ares complemented and sat on a nearby rock before scratching the back of his neck. He looked at the children and saw that they put their full face stone masks on and a shell bracelet on one of their wrist, he raised an eyebrow when he saw Ken walk up with a mask in his hands.

 **"What's this?"** Ares asked.

 **"It's your mask that we made."** Ken said as he handed him the mask. Ares took the mask and gazed at it's features; it had a smooth texture to it with a black color to it, two eye holes, it had three vertical slash marks going down from the middle of the mask to the bottom of it, it was painted with a mixture of black with a red horizontal slash marks going down from the eyes to the bottom, giving it a look of bloody tears. Ares slowly rubbed the mask and felt its smooth texture before flipping it around and slowly placing it on his face. He noticed how clearly he could see despite the eye holes being somewhat small, he looked back and noticed everyone jump.

 **"What?"** Ares asked with a raised eyebrow.

 **"Nothing, you just look cool."** Rei said as she grabbed her stick off the ground. Ares rotated his shoulder before signalling for Brock to come with him.

 **"Let's hunt."** Ares said as he jumped ran into the bushes, followed by Brock and the rest of the children.

* * *

 **Three hours later:**

The hunting party came back less than successful. Ares and the younger ones had cuts and scrapes on their bodies while Brock had a stab wound near his shoulder, something that didn't bother him in the slightest. While it wasn't a complete success it also wasn't a complete failure; Ares managed to capture a deer, Ken and Rei managed to capture a rabbit, and Mimi managed to catch a bird; everybody else didn't catch anything and walked slower than them while Brock took up the rear to prevent any surprise attacks from any grimm or other wildlife. Ares looked back and saw the children in solemn moods before heaving the deer over his shoulder.

 **"Don't look so down kids, you did good considering it was your first hunt."** He said making everybody look at him.

 **"Easy for you to say. You, Rei, and Ken managed to capture something... even Mimi managed to catch something."** Andy said agitated making Mimi look down a bit; Ares noticed this and scowled a bit.

 **"The reason I caught something is because I've been hunting a lot longer than you, Rei and Ken managed to catch something because they listened to me earlier. Mimi may be small but she used it to her advantage and she was rewarded for it. The rest of you weren't listening to me earlier and horsed around, so that's why you didn't catch anything so stop complaining because there's always next time."** Ares explained as he kept walking back towards the keep. When they arrived at the keep he saw Michelle pacing back and forth frantically while Arachne stood to the side trying to calm her down, she finally noticed them and quickly rushed over to Mimi and picked her up, embracing her in a tight hug.

 **"Where were you?! Oh, I was worried!"** Michelle said as she hugged Mimi. Ares and Brock stood to the side with different expressions, the former had a neutral one while the latter had a nervous one and constantly shifted around. Michelle finally let go of Mimi and looked her over, she noticed that she was covered in scrapes and cuts and had a mask on her face.

 **"Why are you covered in cuts and scrapes? What happened to you? Where did you go? Are you okay?"** Michelle asked frantically as she looked over her sister, she looked up to see Ares and Brock standing there. Her mood took a turn for the worse and she gently pushed Mimi out of the way before marching up to the boys, she stopped in front of Ares and glared up at him with murder in her eyes. He merely smirked at her, making her rear her fist back and throw a punch to the side of his face. Ares swiftly dodged the punch and leaned back when she threw an uppercut before catching her fist when she sent a straight at his nose, he got close to her face and smirked a bit more when she scowled at him. Michelle sucked in air and blew a stream of blue fire at him, making him dodge at the last second before he rolled out of the way when she charged at him and barreled into a tree. He slowly stood up just in time to see her barrel out of the tree and tackle him to the ground, she began throwing punches at his face making him put his arms up in defense. Brock looked at the fighting duo before he saw that the children were still watching with worry.

 **"Eh... don't worry about them. I'm sure they'll start talking soon."** Brock tried to reassure but sweat dropped when he saw Ares fly into a tree before sliding down onto the ground and charging at Michelle. Arachne walked up to Brock and leaned to whisper in his ear.

 **"You didn't tell her did you?"** She whispered.

 **"...No I didn't."** He replied and winced when Michelle elbowed Ares' ear.

 **"I don't know who she'll kill first, you or him."** Arachne said as she placed an elbow on Brock's shoulder making him shudder.

 **"I don't really want to find out."** Brock said as he saw Ares pick Michelle up and slam her onto the ground, he then slammed his fist towards Michelle's face and missed when she rolled out of the way. Ares used his forearms to block a slash that was directed towards his face and spun around to smack Michelle with his tail, sending her flying a few feet away. She picked up a rock out of the ground and threw it faster than Ares could react, sending him flying back a bit before charging at him and tackling him to the ground once again. She raised her hands in the air and was about to smash his head but a pair of arms wrapped around her stomach and pulled her off of Ares. She struggled and thrashed around while Brock held onto her tightly, preventing her from escaping; after a few minutes of thrashing she eventually calmed down.

 **"You calm?"** Brock asked. Michelle didn't say anything and just glared at Ares, who slowly sat up and wiped the blood from his mouth before flashing her a smirk making her frown and growl at him. Brock slowly loosened his grip and let Michelle stand on her own and closely watching her to make sure she didn't do anything. Mimi walked up to Michelle and showed her the dead bird that was in her hands.

 **"Look what I caught!"** Mimi said. Michelle looked at her then at the bird.

 **"That's cool. How did you catch it though?"** Michelle asked as she looked at the dead bird.

 **"Ares took us all hunting. I was one of the only ones to catch something too."** Mimi said confidently as she smiled. Michelle looked at Ares who just spat some blood from his mouth and slowly stood up, he dusted himself off and looked at her with a neutral expression before picking up the deer and walking into the cave. She then looked at Mimi and saw her confident expression before smiling and ruffling her hair and standing up. She then felt Brock pat her shoulder and give her a smile before following Ares into the cave, leaving her with Mimi. Mimi tugged on Michelle's hand and looked up at her.

 **"Why did you fight Ares?"** She asked.

 **"I thought he did something to you."** Michelle said as she knelt down. Michelle saw that Mimi had a bracelet made out of shells on her wrist and lifted Mimi's hand to look at it.

 **"That's a pretty bracelet. Where'd you get it?"** Michelle asked.

 **"Rei made it for all of us."** Mimi said as she looked at it. The two stared at the bracelet for a while in wonder, Michelle thought about Ares and his siblings; from what Brock told her, they had just shown up one day and made residence at that hunter school. Her thoughts drifted back to how they came here, she never really bothered asking Ares due to him always avoiding her and when she did try to talk to him he would always do something to piss her off. She hadn't ever really tried to talk to Rei or Ken either, they always stuck around Ares and when she did ask them about themselves they always made up some quick excuse to leave her presence and go find Ares. Mimi lifted the bird up a bit and handed it to Michelle.

 **"Can you turn it into bones? I want to keep it as a trophy like you do."** Mimi said making Michelle smile. She took the dead bird out of Mimi's and and blew a stream of blue fire, burning the corpse until it was charred black. She then began to peel away at the burnt flesh and place the bones in a pile and throwing the charred meat over her shoulder; Mimi gently took the bones and gave her sister a hug before running inside.

 **"That's the most confident I've ever seen Mimi."** Arachne said startling Michelle.

 **"Dammit Arachne, what did I tell you about sneaking up on me?!"** Michelle said lightly glaring at the other monster, who just gave a playful smile.

 **"I wonder what he did to get her confidence up."** Arachne said.

 **"Yeah, I wonder too but if it gets her to be more confident it's alright I guess."** Michelle agreed. The two stood there in silence for a few minutes.

 **"Michelle... how do you really feel about Ares?"** Arachne asked making Michelle look at her.

 **"What do you mean?"** She asked.

 **"I mean how do you feel about him? Do you hate him or like him because every time I see you two together, you're always arguing."** Arachne explained.

 **"I don't hate him, I just... he just pisses me off so much half the time. Everything he does is infuriating and rude, the only people he shows respect to is the young ones and Mathias. Everybody else he's an asshole to."** Michelle explained.

 **"I think he's an asshole to everyone for a reason."** Arachne said.

 **"Why's that?"** Michelle asked.

 **"From what Mathias told me, he's always had trust issues. He and his siblings never really stay in one spot for very long and if they do, then they're always attacked. I think he thinks that if he pushes everybody except his siblings away then he won't have to deal with any sort of pain... and Michelle?"** Arachne asked.

 **"Yeah?"** Michelle asked back.

 **"Where do you think his parents are?"** Arachne asked making Michelle stop. She never really stopped to think about that. Her parents were killed when she had arrived at Remnant, leaving her and Mimi alone for a few months before Mathias showed up and took them under his wing, Brock stated he had always been with Mathias not even remembering his, and Arachne had arrived shortly after she and Mimi arrived. Though Arachne's parents left her shortly after her birth on Shear like all Gorgons do to their children... but Ares and his siblings? Never once had she thought about their parents and where they were. She was suddenly brought out of her thoughts when Arachne started poking the side of her head with her index claw.

 **"Hello? Remnant to Michelle the Goliath~"** Arachne sang making Michelle's left eye twitch before she smacked Arachne's hand away.

 **"What did I tell you about poking me like that?"** Michelle growled at Arachne who flashed another playful smile before wrapping an arm around Michelle's shoulders.

 **"Well, I had to get your attention one way or another silly."** Arachne giggled. Michelle rolled her eyes before shrugging off Arachne but was stopped when she grabbed Michelle's shoulder, she saw that Arachne had a serious expression on her face which concerned her a little bit.

 **"Michelle, I know you sort of hate Ares right now but... try to at least get to know him. I feel that he never had what we have now."** Arachne said.

 **"And that is?"** Michelle asked with a raised eyebrow.

 **"A loving family and future... Michelle, I don't think Ares has had anyone else other than his younger siblings. I think he's like the way he is now is because he never had someone to look out for him since he's always looked out for them."** Arachne said seriously.

 **"What makes you think I'm going to talk to him."** Michelle asked.

 **"One, you have that look and two, you still need to apologize to him for punching him all those months ago."** Arachne answered.

 **"Oh, come on! He's still mad about that?! It happened three fucking months ago."** Michelle exclaimed, raising her arms.

 **"I mean he damn near let me strangle Brock, sooooo yeah. I still think he's mad about that."** Arachne said as she stretched.

 **"Ugh, what a fucking baby. If he's still mad about that then I don't think I'll ever apologize."** Michelle said.

 **"Eh, no skin off my back if you don't. Though I feel like you should if he's going to be living here from now on, plus he's really not that bad of a guy."** Arachne said.

 **"But he doesn't even like you."** Michelle said.

 **"I know, it's fun to toy with him though. He'd make an excellent playmate."** Arachne shrugged.

 **"He doesn't even play though."** Michelle retorted.

 **"That's not what I meant."** Arachne winked. Michelle stared at her for a few moments before her eyes widened a bit and she blushed a bit.

 **"Ewwww! That's fucking gross, is that the only thing that goes on in your head?!"** Michelle shouted making Arachne laugh.

 **"Not really, but it's one of them."** Arachne winked making Michelle throw her arms in the air and storm away from the spider monster of the group. Arachne laughed at a thought in her head and entered the cave system along with the others.

* * *

Ares sat at the main hall table next to Mathias and Brock, the three were currently discussing the plan for the winter. The children were currently sleeping along with the girls.

 **"Child, I understand your concern about everyone's safety during the winter but I can assure you that everything will be alright."** Mathias reassured.

 **"What about food, hmm? The wildlife is scarce during the winter."** Ares said.

 **"The wildlife here isn't like the ones on Shear. Here, they scavenge beneath the snow and frost for food instead of migrating like most on Shear."** Mathias said.

 **"Come on Ares, winter months may be stressed a bit but Mathias and I have been living here for years. We've been fine ever since."** Brock smiled.

 **"What about defenses, are we sure the grimm won't attack?"** Ares asked.

 **"The grimm usually don't attack during the winter months, most of them prefer to migrate to warmer areas. We've only had maybe three grimm attacks in all our years here."** Mathias said.

 **"...What about those hunters?"** Ares said making Mathias and Brock look at him.

 **"What about them?"** Brock asked.

 **"Will they come?"** Ares asked. Mathias exhaled slowly before looking at Ares.

 **"Sometimes they do come... usually to try and trade with us but mostly to try and get us to join them. We've usually denied their request to join them and send them on their way but every year or two a team of young ones try to come and 'help' us."** Mathias said as he emphasized help.

 **"So you mean to say that they know where we are?"** Ares asked, he then looked at Brock. **"You told me a few weeks ago that nobody knew where we are."** He added.

 **"Because they usually forget by then. We've never had the same group of hunters show up twice."** Brock said. Ares didn't look convinced and was about to ask another question but Mathias raised his hand to stop him.

 **"Child... I know you are worried about us and I'm grateful, but trust me when I say we'll make it through. We were born as apex predators who survive no matter what, we will do what we do best."** Mathias smiled making Ares calm down a bit. Ares got up slowly and nodded to them before leaving the room and heading to his.

 **"He worries to much."** Brock said as he rotated his neck.

 **"It's good that he does, it means he cares about us."** Mathias said.

 **"Except Michelle."** Brock said making Mathias laugh.

 **"As much as they argue, they do care about each other. They're just to damn stubborn to realize it."** Mathias said.

 **"Yeah well that's them I guess. Alright dad, I'll see you tomorrow... you still going to Vale in a few weeks?"** Brock asked.

 **"Yes, why?"** Mathias asked.

 **"I feel that we should take everybody to Vale for a few hours, just to make them relax a bit."** Brock suggested.

 **"You just want to look at half the girls don't you?"** Mathias asked with a raised eyebrow. Brock just rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

 **"No that's not it. Well, goodnight."** He said quickly before running to his room. Mathias chuckled a bit before sighing and getting up, he slowly walked to his room and entered it before getting in his bed and falling asleep. Never in his life would he have thought he would have a family, granted he had one before but they're gone now. Only thing to do now is make sure this one survives and thrives to have a bright future.

* * *

 **AN: Well, hey there ladies and gentlemen. This chapter is sort of long, as will the future ones be; I'm going to start writing up to 10000-15000 words per chapter from now on. I don't have anything to say other than I need a name for 1 Goliath, 2 Wraiths, and 1 Kraken. I added the meteor Goliath because I've been grinding with it during my multiplayer matches and fucking people up, but that's besides the point. This is your only chance to add a name for an OC so you all had better create some names if you want them in the story. The next few chapters won't have RWBY or any of the other cast because I want to go more into the lives of the monsters, I also used the outpost from far cry primal because for some reason I just found that particular one so interesting. Anyways, you all know the golden rule about reviews so if it's rude don't put it and if you have a suggestion or request just drop it below. Other than that have a good day and have a good life, take it easy.**


	9. Chapter 9: Winter

**AN: Welcome back everybody and thank you all for reading and sticking with this story. You all have no idea how much it means to me that I've captured the attention of all of you. Anyways let's get into reviews that you all have posted.**

 **TheFinicalPogo: I'm using Lilith for the Wraith name and Orka for the Kraken, so congratulations. Two of your names has been submitted in the story and thanks for reviewing.**

 **XCOMHEAVY12: I'll try to keep this story interesting for you as long as you keep up those badass reviews and thanks for sticking with this story.**

 **GrimmKingOfAtlas: Since you've stuck around with this story I'm going to put your Wraith name in here, Kyla it is then. Thanks for reviewing and coming up with a name for my story; also keep doing good with your story, I've enjoyed it so far. Sorry about not trying to think up a name for yours, I really suck at names as you can tell.**

 **hornig3: Not at all, he reminds me of myself sometimes too. Anyways, thanks for reviewing.**

 **STRIKER ENERGY: I actually didn't think about the frost Goliath, so thanks for the name and congratulations. You've filled in the last name I need for the story.**

 **I just wanted to say thank you all for putting in some ideas for this story, as far as names I mean. I enjoy writing these for you guys and I hope that you will continue to read and enjoy them also. So without further adieu, let's roll on with the fucking story!**

* * *

 **Months later:**

Winter slowly arrived in Vale, masking it like a white blanket over the kingdom. While the occupants of Vale were busy selling items to keep everybody warm and Beacon keeping their students warm and cozy, there was the occupants in Emerald forest that had minor problems. The group had somewhat stocked up before the winter had hit full force, since Mathias had a somewhat good idea to head into Vale a few weeks before. He didn't pick much up but a few coats and pants for the young ones, plus a few packages of medication, he claimed it was for the little ones since their immune systems hadn't fully developed. Everyone was currently in the main hall eating dinner while having little conversations, Ares and Brock were having one on who could hunt better, Michelle and Arachne were having one on who could be stealthier, the children were having their own conversations, while Mathias sat quietly sipping on some tea made out of a few berries and plants.

 **"Bullshit Ares, I can hunt way better than you."** Brock said.

 **"Yeah, the moment your fat ass can go without breaking a tree."** Ares said while propping his head on his hand.

 **"I'm not even that fat! Michelle am I fat?"** Brock asked. She looked at him with a raised eyebrow before looking down and up again.

 **"Hell yeah. I'm surprised you're even able to move."** She teased while looking at him with an amused expression.

 **"What the fu? Dad?"** Brock asked Mathias who looked at him amused.

 **"I must admit, you have gained a few pounds."** Mathias laughed lightheartedly.

 **"Dad! You're supposed to be on my side! Arachne?"** Brock asked. She looked at him up and down for a minute before smiling smugly.

 **"Hmm, you're not fat."** She said.

 **"Oh thank god."** He said.

 **"You're p.h.a.t."** She winked.

 **"What? What's that supposed to mean?"** He asked. She laughed and walked over to him before leaning down and whispering in his ear quietly, his eyes suddenly widened as he looked at her. She winked in response before laughing as his face lit up and he stood up quickly, pulling at his shirt.

 **"Well, ahem... if that's what you think I'm glad... night everybody."** He said. Everybody looked at him as he stumbled out of the room in an awkward manner, he accidentally bumped into a stand and knocked it over; quickly picked it up before shuffling out of the room. Arachne giggled quietly as she stared at the spot he left making everybody look at her, Ares raised an eyebrow as he looked at her.

 **"You mind telling us what you said to him?"** He asked.

 **"Wouldn't you like to know, hmm?"** She hummed cheekily.

 **"Yeah, that's why I'm asking."** He retorted.

 **"Well, let me tell you then."** She said getting up and walking over to him. He stopped her just an arms length away.

 **"First that's far enough and second just say it right here."** He said. Arachne stopped and widened her eyes at what he said, she couldn't just say it out loud in front of everybody. It was to embarrassing and inappropriate for the children, not to mention if she said it in front of Mathias she would get one of his talks. Something she hated more than being on cleaning duty, and be secluded to her room for a few days.

 **"It's uh... nothing."** She said.

 **"No it's something. Or else you wouldn't have said it to Brock, what was it?"** Ares asked making Arachne shuffle around. This was bad since everybody was looking at her, especially the children, something like this would ruin their fragile souls. Ares looked at her amused while tapping his claws on the table, he started laughing quietly when she started shuffling around and tapping her claws together nervously. The whole room went quiet as they all watched the spider monster of the group go from a ball of bubbly joy to a nervous quiet blubbering mess, it was quite amusing, especially if it was from the loudest one of them all. She didn't say anything and just bolted out of the room in a green blur that reminded Ares of someone who he hated with every fiber of his being, just the thought of that annoying gnat made him scowl. Dinner passed when all the children started to yawn and fall asleep on the table, most of them just face planted on the table and snored loudly but eventually woke up and went to their rooms. Ares looked to see Rei and Ken the only ones up and sighed in annoyance, he sighed more when he saw them give him cheeky grins. Michelle looked at the three in curiosity as they just stared at each other, Ares with a stern expression and Rei and Ken with cheeky ones.

 **"Don't you two dare-"** He stared.

 **"Too late!"** Rei laughed and bolted out of the room with Ken in tow; Ares growled in response and quickly got up before chasing them throughout the cave system. Michelle looked at the spot where she last saw them then looked at Mathias who had his eyes closed with a content smile on his face.

 **"What are you smiling like that for?"** She asked.

 **"Nothing... just enjoying the peace and silence before I head on to bed."** He said as he sipped some more of his tea. The two sat in silence with the exception of Michelle's tail scraping against the ground, the cave seemed to be filled with a soothing silence with the exception of Rei and Ken laughing in the distance. It was times like these that Mathias enjoyed the most, the silence in a place where he could call home and people he could call family. The silence was suddenly interrupted when Rei and Ken came in the room giggling before hiding behind Mathias and peeking from out behind him, they later receded when Ares walked in the room and looked around. He began to look around the room in a joking manner before he heard giggling behind Mathias and quickly went over to him, looking behind his back only to find an empty space.

 **"What the fuck?"** Ares asked. He heard giggling behind Michelle and went over to look behind her back her but scowled when he saw nothing but an empty space. Michelle smirked when she saw Ares grow frustrated as he began to look around more frantically, to the point where he was knocking things over and searching under things. She almost burst out laughing when she saw the two on his back laughing silently, they looked at her and put their fingers to their mouths which made her laugh and do the same.

 **"Oh my God! Where the fuck are they?!"** Ares asked angrily as he searched underneath the table, near the pot, in the halls, and underneath Brock. He finally sat down next to Michelle and snarled to himself making her look at him with an amused expression, something he noticed.

 **"You know something I don't?"** He asked.

 **"Nope."** Michelle smiled cheekily. Ares just sighed in annoyance and put his arms on the table and head in his arms; he growled in annoyance when Michelle smacked his tail with hers.

 **"Why are you smirking?"** He asked.

 **"No reason, just enjoying the show."** She smiled. He threw his arms up in the air and stood up, looking around the room. **"This is bullshit!"** He exclaimed.

 **"Why are you so mad?"** Michelle laughed.

 **"This is the longest I've ever taken to find them! They usually last a couple of minutes but it's been almost ten, what the fuck!?"** He asked angrily, making Michelle burst out laughing then Mathias started to join in. He looked at the two in confusion before he heard giggling behind him, he looked over his shoulder to see Rei and Ken hanging on to his spikes while laughing at him. They suddenly yelped when he grabbed their tails and hung them upside down before spinning and making them dizzy, as soon as they were about to throw up he quickly let them down and pinned them with his knees. Their expressions went from pure joy to horror as Ares smiled evilly at them, he flexed his claws before suddenly tickling them with brotherly fury.

 **"Ahhhhhh, Ares no!"** Rei squealed in laughter as she was the first victim, her laughing reached its peak when he tickled the side of her neck, making her almost howl in laughter. Ken tried to struggle and almost got out before Ares turned his attention to him and began his attack on the younger brother's armpits, making him howl in laughter and start coughing. Ares continued the assault on the two before he stopped when he heard multiple feet behind and above him, he turned to see the children all standing there with confused expressions as they stared at the three.

 **"Guys help us!"** Ken shouted. The other children looked at him then nodded and began to charge at Ares, prompting him to release the two and brace for impact as a young Goliath named Frost was the first to charge him. She managed to make him stumble a bit before a Wraith named Lilith warped up to him and tackled his face, throwing him off balance, the other Wraith named Kyla assisted Lilith in tackling him. Andy ran up and charged his stomach with the assistance of a Kraken named Orka, the two managed to make him fall to the ground and try to sit up but were kept down when all the children dog piled him while laughing. Michelle smiled at the site then looked down when she saw Mimi sit on her lap and lean against her, looking at the dog pile. Mimi watched everybody kept Ares on the ground and began to crawl all over him, Ken stood on Ares' chest and struck a heroic pose, making Mimi laugh. The other children looked at him with curious expressions.

 **"Let it be known fellow compatriots... this is the day that we had defeated my big brother. Who stinks... and sometimes snores loudly... and will drool when he's hungry... and... Rei what else?"** Ken asked as he looked back to see her batting Ares' head side to side while he just scrunched his eyes. She looked at him before tapping her chin in a thinking manner.

 **"Oh and sometimes he gets a rock and acts like he's about to throw it at Michelle when she's not looking."** Rei said making Ares' eyes spring open to see Michelle with a stern expression, he lifted his hand up and waved at her. She cocked her head to her left and shouted down the hall.

 **"Brock!"** She shouted; everybody heard a groan from down the hallway.

 **"Whaaaaaat?"** He groaned loudly.

 **"Dog pile!"** She shouted back. There was a few moments of silence before thundering footsteps could be heard down the hall and enter the main one.

 **"Dog pile!"** Brock shouted as he leaped through the air and towards Ares, who went wide eyed before pushing the children out of the way. Brock suddenly landed on Ares' stomach and sat on him with a wide smile on his face, his tail was wagging really fast as he looked around to see everybody giggling at him.

 **"Brock! Get your fat ass off of me!"** Ares shouted. Michelle had a smirk on her face as she watched Ares thrash around while Brock sat on him while wagging his tail quickly, she almost burst out laughing when Brock's tongue stuck out slightly; that stupidly happy expression made her smile. The thrashing continued on for a few minutes while everybody just stared at Ares struggle, they all looked at him to see his face was beginning to turn red from anger and his muscles glow. Mathias just laughed and sighed before beckoning Brock to get off before there could be a meltdown. Ares quickly got up and glared at Brock, who just gave a goofy smile in return, before angrily marching outside; a rock could be heard tearing out of the ground before impacting a tree and breaking it. Michelle looked to see where Ares had left and raised an eyebrow before turning to look at Rei and Ken who had sheepish expressions on their faces, they rubbed their arms the same way their faces were.

 **"Ares gets uh... kind of mad when he's pinned."** Rei said.

 **"Why?"** Michelle asked.

 **"It makes him feel helpless, he always likes being somewhat in control when he's in messing around with somebody. He knows you're messing around when you're roughhousing but when you pin him it gets kind of personal."** Ken said.

 **"So uh... he's mad at me isn't he?"** Brock asked.

 **"Ehhh... kind of."** Rei said. Brock's shoulder's slumped before he walked outside and left everybody in silence for a few minutes before he returned with a happy expression on his face.

 **"We're all good now."** Brock smiled while giving a thumbs up. He slowly turned around and began limping while saying 'ow' a few times as he walked, there was a sudden thump in the middle of the hallway and a loud snore. Michelle rolled her eyes before she caught site of Mathias looking at her with that 'look' which made her groan and slowly stand up. She began walking outside in a somewhat slow manner and finally arrived at the entrance to see Ares sitting at the cliff's edge on the rock while staring out into space, you really couldn't see the lake down below since it was being masked by the snow and frost that was in the air. She sighed and went up to him before sitting a few feet away from him, and staring out into space too; she looked at him to see his face back in its stoic look again. Her presence merely didn't exist as of right now, she could only guess why.

 **"Are you seriously mad about that?"** She asked with a raised eyebrow.

 **"..."** He didn't say anything and just turned away from her while resting his hand on his hands, the frost and snow seemed to be accumulating on him before melting and drying up quickly as heat burned it all away. The snow seemed to be getting heavier and started to come down more violently as time progressed, the night seemed to be getting darker to the point where it was pitch black and the only light was the light from Ares and Michelle's muscles as they glowed a mixture of blue and red in the darkness. The temperature started to dip down into the negatives making Michelle slightly shiver and blow a stream of fire in the air to illuminate the space in front of her, she caught a glimpse of Ares still in his stoic look while having a hazy look in his eyes. The light faded as quickly as it came basking the two in darkness again; the red glow from Ares suddenly stopped making Michelle look in his direction, she blew a stream of fire to see him sleeping the same position.

 **"Wha? How do you even fall asleep in that position?"** She asked. He of course didn't reply back but merely slumped over onto the cold snowy ground, letting the snowfall build up on him. Michelle sighed and threw an arm over her shoulder but dipped down when she noticed how heavy he was, but eventually grew accustom to his weight and started to shuffle towards the entrance. All the weight suddenly lifted off of her making her stumble a bit before placing a hand on the entrance and looking up to see Ares with a tired expression, his movements were sluggish as he gently passed her and walked down the hallway. Michelle followed him until he got to his room and collapsed on the fur bed and snoring softly, she saw Rei and Ken come out from the corner of the room and put a blanket on him before getting underneath the covers themselves. They saw her and waved before slowly falling asleep. Michelle stared at the three and retreated to her room where there was an already sleeping Mimi in her own bed, clutching something in her hand. Dismissing this as another one of her collectibles, she turned towards her own bed and promptly fell asleep.

* * *

The cave was cold this morning, while none of the snow had gotten in, the cool air had flooded the halls. Mostly everybody was warm and cozy with the exception of a certain spider monster of the group, who was cursing up a storm as her feet made contact with the cold stone surface.

 **"Fucking stupid ass, bitch, cunt, shit, whore, slut, dick, fucker, bitch."** She cursed as she tip-toed to try and minimize contact with the floor. She finally made it to the main hall and saw that the cooking pot was empty and seemed to be mocking her hate of the cold as it blew a gust of cold air in her face. Right now her mood was not the greatest; first her room was cold, second there was no food, and third no one was awake to pay attention to her. She needed attention dammit!

 **"Let's see... Ares is no fun since he's always around his siblings, Brock gets embarrassed too easily, Michelle can somewhat tolerate me and talk with me, Mathias will completely fuck me up if I decide to mess with him, and the children are off limits."** She said to herself. An idea popped in her head as she went to Michelle's room and burst the door wide open with so much force it seemed to shake the room.

 **"Hey Michelle! I-"** She suddenly stopped when she saw Michelle stretching like a cat; her hands were stretched out in front of her and her head was low to the ground while her butt was high in the air with her tail curling towards her back. She and Arachne looked at each other before Arachne suddenly started to make a squealing noise in her mouth and she eventually covered it with one hand.

 **"Oh my god Michelle! That is so cute!"** She gushed. Her squealing had awoken someone who was not a morning person, making him march over to her.

 **"Arachne... why the hell are you squealing like a Strider this early in the morning?"** Ares asked as he rubbed his eyes. She didn't say anything but point in Michelle's direction, he followed her hand and saw Michelle still in her stretching position while looking at them with wide eyes. Ares looked at her with a surprised expression before jumping back when she blushed heavily and threw a rock at him; he caught the rock but failed to stop her shoulder charge him to the ground and sit on his stomach. He looked up to see Michelle stare down at him with a stern expression but with a slight pink tint to her cheeks; she suddenly got close to his face and lightly glared at him.

 **"What did you see?"** She interrogated.

 **"A female monster stretching like a cat for some reason. Did you just feel like practicing your mating position or something?"** Ares joked. Michelle suddenly sat up and turned away from him with tinted cheeks, she was suddenly knocked over when Ares stood up and stretched before twisting his neck and cracking it, which made Arachne shudder ecstatically. When he was done stretching he saw Michelle on the ground rubbing her back before extending a hand her way, she looked at the hand for a few moments before grabbing it and standing up. Ares looked at her face and grabbed her head before placing his nose in the crook of her neck and taking a small sniff, during this time Michelle's face blushed a bit more as she stared wide eyed at his action. When he let go he turned his head to the side and sneezed shaking the two out their shocked stupor.

 **"You smell different."** Ares said as he walked past her and entered the main hall to see that there wasn't any food. He sighed when he realized that they didn't have anything to eat, thus making it hard for everybody to continue throughout the day. Normally he would go hunting with Brock but ever since his dog pile stunt he didn't feel like inviting him, the children were too young to even be considered going hunting during the winter, and Mathias is too old to hunt for long periods of time. That left... the girls. Now there was nothing wrong with them, it's just that they've never asked him to go with them or he never asked them, which ever one it was. But right now there wasn't much of a choice due to it being winter and they all needed food now, if not then they would all starve in a few days. He turned to see Arachne poking Michelle's head with her index claw while Michelle glared at Arachne and smacked her hand away repeatedly as she kept on doing it.

 **"I never asked this but do you guys want to go hunting with me?"** He asked, which made them stop and look at him.

 **"I don't and I have my reasons why."** Arachne said, crossing her arms

 **"Okay, and I don't really care why."** Ares said and completely ignored her, before turning to Michelle.

 **"You coming?"** He asked.

 **"Don't see why not."** Michelle shrugged. Ares lead her to his room but motioned for her to stop as he entered and closed the door behind him, there was a few minutes of silence before the door opened to reveal him with his mask on. Michelle raised an eyebrow at him before noticing that he had a hunter belt with many pockets on him that seemed to be holding all type of trinkets inside, her curiosity got the better of her when she saw numerous stone shards that were shaped like throwing knives laced with a type of thick fluid. Ares brushed passed her and quietly made his way out of the cave with Michelle in tow; the two were taken aback as the cold morning air bit their skin with frozen fury but brushed it off later as body heat took care of the rest. The path into the forest was covered in feet of snow which made the trip somewhat hard, but the forest itself looked completely different. It almost looked beautiful if you didn't count the broken nearby trees from the numerous arguments Ares and Michelle had, a lot of them ended with one of them being sent into a tree or rock and breaking it. The trek through the snow was quiet with the exception of the shuffling feet of the two monsters, the snow had stopped falling and just sat on the ground while grey clouds masked the sky and blocked the sun from entering. Snow fell off of branches and made a small thump as it hit the ground while the river was still rushing with all of its glory, while usually Michelle enjoyed silence this was too peaceful for her taste.

 **"Ares?"** She asked.

 **"Hmm?"** He hummed as he knelt down to look at some hoof prints that were in the snow, they seemed to belong to a large animal judging by the size.

 **"What do you think of me?"** She asked making him stop inspecting the prints and glance at her before turning back.

 **"You're alright. Sometimes come off a little bitchy but overall alright friend wise."** He answered truthfully before looking up to see a receding body pass some trees.

 **"Do you ever say anything nice?"** She asked.

 **"That means I have to like you a lot to do something like that. I like you, just not that much yet."** He said.

 **"Well it's a start I guess..."** She whispered. She was suddenly stopped when Ares stuck his hand out and gestured in front of them, there were multiple elks 90 feet away from them. He looked at her then at the branches before pointing a finger up, she looked up to see a high branch and multiple ones close to it; she looked back at Ares confused which made him slap his face quietly.

 **"We're going to attack them from above."** He whispered and stuck his claws in the tree and started to ascend, he stopped and gestured for Michelle to do the same. She hesitantly stuck a claw in the tree and another one before she started to slowly ascend with Ares making quiet thumps in the tree. Once she caught up to Ares, who helped her get up on the branch, she crouched down with him to balance themselves on the branch while staring at the group of four elks in front of them. Ares quietly started to traverse the branches by swinging on them and leaping from one to another with such stealth that it made Michelle look like an amateur compared to him, once she finally arrived next to him on the branch they were ten feet away from the elk. Ares gestured for Michelle to leap across a gap that was right above the group but was a far jump, something like that would probably generate a lot of noise and scare the animals away. She was about to protest but was interrupted when Ares had begun counting down from five in a slow manner making her scoff and leap towards the tree; the elks looked around frantically when snow fell from one of the branches and landed next to it. Ares waited a second for the elks to calm down before slowly counting down again, when his finger hit one and then went to a closed fist he quickly equipped a throwing shard and threw it into one of the elks. The rest of the herd panicked and looked around quickly before suddenly running when another one was tackled to the ground by something and had its neck forcibly snapped, creating a loud crack. Michelle slowly stood up to see Ares land on the ground and brushed a lock of hair behind her ear.

 **"Next time you should discuss the plan with-"** She was cut off when Ares ran past her and began to chase after the herd while snarling loudly. Snow kicked up past him as he barreled through everything in his way while keeping a certain elk in his sights, the elk with the stone shard in its side began to slow down as the poison began to kick in before it fell to the ground. It tried standing up but failed when its legs gave out from underneath it, making the snow around it kick up. Its vision started to black out as its last sights was someone walking towards it in a slow manner while flexing their claws. Ares looked at the dead elk and slowly walked towards it, kneeling down and slowly brushing his hand against its fur. His stomach growled loudly the longer he stared at it and snarled before suddenly thrusting his mouth towards its neck and taking a large chunk out, he spit the fur out and started to savagely tear into the exposed flesh while blood started to fly into the air. The snow started to turn red all over as Ares ripped his head up and tore a chunk of flesh out before slurping it up and caking his face in the red liquid; he went over to the head and slammed a fist on the skull, cracking it open and stuffing the brain in his mouth in large chunks. The stomach was suddenly sliced open when a claw was stuck in its side, releasing the stomach contents which steamed in the cold air as they slowly fell on the ground with a wet splat, splashing blood all over Ares. The kidney was suddenly ripped out and chewed into pieces before it slid down his throat and started to melt in stomach acids.

 **"Ares, I think everybody is up now. We should... what are you doing?!"** He heard Michelle scream. He snarled and quickly turned around to see Michelle dragging the dead elk by its antlers while shivering slightly, her face was in a mixture of annoyance and agitation as she stared at his bloody face, a few pieces of flesh could be seen falling from his mouth. She tapped her foot while giving him a stern look which made her look like an annoyed wife.

 **"I'm waiting for an answer you big dumbass."** She huffed.

 **"I'm eating duh. Now leave me alone so I can feed more."** He growled and went back to chewing on a piece of flesh; a rock suddenly hit the back of his head making him snarl and look to see Michelle standing there with the same expression.

 **"I am not in the mood, now leave me alone."** He growled.

 **"No, because we need to get these back to everyone. So stop being greedy and help me drag these back."** She said and began to drag her elk back. Ares glared at her before his look softened and he looked back at the half eaten elk, sighing in annoyance at the fact that she was right he picked up the elk by its antlers and quickly caught up to Michelle. She appeared to be fine but on closer inspection she had a stumble in her walk, was slightly red in the face, was shivering, and had trouble dragging the elk.

 **"Michelle..."** Ares said.

 **"What?"** She asked, stumbling in her step.

 **"Drop the food."** He said.

 **"Why?"** She slurred.

 **"Just do it."** He huffed. Michelle sighed then dropped the caribou and stood there looking at Ares, she was suddenly engulfed in a hug which surprised her.

 **"What are you doing?"** She asked.

 **"Just shut up and don't move."** He said, his body began to glow and steam as it generated heat. Michelle's shivering came to a stop as her body temperature began to heat up again, the snow around their feet melted and dried leaving a dry dirt patch which seemed like an oasis in the middle of the frozen climate. The heat from his body made her purr as she felt her body heat back up until it was back up to its original temperature, she closed her eyes when the heat grew and grew until it was suddenly gone. She opened them to see Ares look at her before grabbing both elk bodies and dragging them back to the cave, leaving Michelle standing in the middle of the dry patch of dirt with the fading warmth of Ares on her. She shook her head and quickly followed him back to the keep to avoid any more of the cold from engulfing her again, maybe she should have stayed inside with Arachne.

* * *

Everybody shifted and groaned as they sat at the dinner table, today was not a good day. First it was cold since the only two Goliaths weren't there to at least warm up the place, two there wasn't any food to eat, and three they were all bored out of their minds. Right now Mathias had a headache due to his hunger and he recently ran out of tea to help with them, the children were all groaning which didn't help it at all and it made it worse that Brock was acting like a child too.

 **"Daaaaaaad."** Brock groaned.

 **"Yes Brock?"** Mathias sighed slowly while rubbing the bridge of his nose.

 **"I'm hungryyyyyyy."** Brock groaned.

 **"I am too son."** Mathias said. Andy kept hitting his head on the table while drooling to the side making Lilith and Frost recoil in disgust.

 **"Ewwwww! Andy's drooling!"** Lilith screamed making everybody look at the young drooling Goliath then recoil. Frost scooted away from him as she sat next to Ken who was throwing pebbles at Rei making her glare at him, she threw a pebble back to which he ducked under and make it fly past his head, hitting Frost in the side of the head.

 **"What the heck Rei?!"** Frost said as she lightly glared at Rei, who just gave an impassive look.

 **"Didn't mean it. Ken moved at the last second. Blame him."** Rei said she set her head in her arms. Frost looked at her then huffed before looking at Ken who was throwing a pebble at the wall then picking another one up off the ground and repeating the process again. Everybody was to busy doing their own thing that they didn't notice a heavy object lay itself on the table until they heard Ares speak up.

 **"You all just going to let it sit there or are you going to eat?"** He asked. Nobody wasted any time and began to gorge on the already half eaten carcass that was on the table, splashing blood on the table and themselves. Everybody ate the corpse so fast that nobody seemed to notice Ares drag another body into the back room where he began to skin it with one of the many tools Ken had made him. Despite his young age, Ken was extremely inventive when it came to making tools for survival; most of the things on Ares' belt are Ken's creations, which ranged from a simple carving knife to poisoned throwing shards that killed the elk in mere minutes. Rei was also inventive too, she was the one to propose the idea of creating a type of container to store the meat for future use, while it wasn't completely full proof it at least worked at most times. She was also a skilled sewist, often making different clothes that she had learned from Arachne. Ares hefted the elk above his head and hung it by its antlers on one of Arachne's hooks she has in the ceiling (he really doesn't want to find out what they're for) before taking the obsidian stone knife and start skinning the caribou at a steady pace. After ten minutes he had finally gotten the fur off and set it in a tub of water to rinse off the residue blood then place it on the drying rack. He went back to slicing the elk before he heard somebody walk behind him.

 **"You need any help?"** He heard Michelle ask. At first he was going to tell her to go away but decided this might be a chance to try and build a relationship with her.

 **"...Yeah. Just take this other knife and start placing the organs in that container over there."** Ares pointed to the makeshift cooler in the corner. Michelle grabbed the other knife Ares had offered and started to help skin the caribou, they skinned in silence with the exception of meat hitting ice and the sawing of a knife against tender flesh. The ground was caked with blood and the room felt stuffy making the two slightly shift uncomfortably at the stuffiness. Once the body was nothing but bloody bones they began to clean the room, aka douse the place with water and let it flow out through a mini tunnel in the corner of the room, before heading to the main hall to see that everybody was was slumping forward rubbing their stomachs with content expressions. They noticed that the entire body was picked clean and there was nothing left but a bloody set of bones on the table, Ares then saw Ken take a rib and began to sharpen it with a rock and place it in a pile of knives made out of wood, rope made from vines and bone. Ken stopped when Ares sat next to him and rubbed the top of his head then patting his back a couple of times.

 **"Hey Ares?"** Ken asked.

 **"Yep?"** Ares asked as he found a piece of flesh on a bone and stuffed it in his mouth before chewing slowly.

 **"Do you think we'll ever get back to Shear?"** Ken asked while picking up a knife and lightly poked his finger before placing it with the others and repeating the same process. Ares just sighed and rubbed his head, not noticing Michelle standing in the corner of the room, before looking at Ken's curious face.

 **"I don't think so... and personally I don't want to either."** Ares said a bit solemnly.

 **"Why not?"** Ken asked.

 **"Because it brings back some bad memories... every time I think of Shear, it's always about those fucking hunters."** Ares snarled at the thought of those psychopaths. That's all they were in his eyes, crazy gun-toting psychopaths with nothing better to do than to kill the local wildlife for fun. Humans weren't even on Shear until ten years ago, no monster really paid attention to them until they started to destroy the local wildlife and take the planet's resources for some use. Apparently from what their dad said, Shear had been a paradise before. It was so full of life and peace for all monsters, with the exception of territory, mating rights and pack wars, that nothing seemed to go wrong but when the humans came it all went to hell. They had polluted the air with their waste, destroyed the planet with their mining, killed or enslaved numerous wildlife for their own purpose which deprived a lot of monsters of food, and basically drove all monster-kind to extinction due to them trying to defend their home. But not all humans were genocidal monsters in disguise, some where passionate beings who wanted nothing more than to study the monsters and preserve their lives, like _she_ did. There was only one other person, other than that scientist Caira, who wanted nothing more than to observe monsters and try to understand them but... she's dead now, has been for a long time and nothing could bring her back. That didn't matter now since Michelle was sitting across the table from him while propping her head on a hand, her other hand was tapping the table while she stared into space towards the hallway to the right.

 **"Not trying to be an ass but what are you doing here Michelle?"** Ares asked.

 **"Dunno, trying to figure that out."** She said, tapping her claw on the table.

 **"Alright... so Ken what'd you use as the poison for the shards?"** Ares asked.

 **"I had Arachne help me make it. We took some of the snow berries and her poison that she secretes and made a type of paralyzing poison, did it work?"** Ken asked hopefully.

 **"Worked like a charm, good job bro."** Ares smiled as he ruffled Ken's hair making the latter give a pout before going back to making more bone knives. Michelle looked at the knives carefully and noticed that each one had a mixture of designs that resembled the tattoos on Ares' arms, her thoughts drifted back to when he hugged her and decided to ask the question.

 **"Ares, why did you hug me in outside?"** She asked. Ken looked at her before looking at Ares and sporting a smug look, he later rubbed his head when Ares smacked the back of it then lightly pushed him to the ground.

 **"You were showing signs of hypothermia and I wasn't about to let you die, plus I would be a shitty person to leave Mimi without her big sister."** Ares said while rotating his neck.

 **"Alright... hey Ken, what are you doing?"** She asked.

 **"I'm uh... making some bone knives for everybody when we go hunting with Ares."** He said sheepishly.

 **"Where'd you learn to make them?"** She asked.

 **"Mostly through trial and error, I learned to make them when Ares usually went hunting and the bones were left from the carcass after we were done eating."** Ken explained, sharpening another knife and placing it in the pile. All went quiet from there with the exception from the a rock sharpening bone to a fine point, everybody that had gorged on the elk was fast asleep and the three awake occupants just basked in silence. Ares yawned and stood up before stretching out his muscles and walking out of the room, leaving Ken with Michelle. The former would send glances at the latter before continuing to make knives while the latter just stared to the right while humming softly.

 **"You're the first person his age that he somewhat likes."** Ken said out of the blue, making Michelle blink in surprise since she had always been the one to try and strike up with them but failed every time, maybe this could be her chance to get to know them.

 **"How so?"** She asked curiously.

 **"I'm not going to lie about my big brother because that would make me a cruddy one, but Ares has always had trust issues with others. Every person he meets always tries to get over on him, always tried to hurt us, or tried to kill all three of us. You may have been the first person his age that hasn't tried to screw him over or kill him... what I'm trying to say is that you make my brother somewhat happy other than us and for that I'm grateful."** Ken said as he looked at her.

 **"Well I'm glad for that."** She smiled for a minute.

 **"C-can you stop looking at me now?"** He asked nervously.

 **"Oops... sorry."** She quickly apologized. Ken laughed nervously before standing and shuffling past her to enter the room with Ares, she looked to see that everybody was still asleep and didn't look to be waking up anytime soon. She picked up one of the knives and noticed that each one had a name on it and a different design, hers had a meteor design on it with her name inscribed on the handle with a blue color to it. Mimi's had a design of a seashell on near the tip of the blade with a river near the bottom with a swirl design on the handle, it was a forest brown in color overall. She continued to observe each knife with some awe at the artistic design of them before stopping and elbowing something behind her. A feminine groan made her stop and look behind her to see Arachne on the ground holding her nose and groaning in pain.

 **"What the fuck Michelle?"** She groaned, holding her nose to stop the bleeding.

 **"Sorry, I didn't mean it."** Michelle quickly apologized and kneeling down to asses the wound. The nose didn't appear to be broken but was bleeding heavily and dripping all over the ground. Arachne hissed when Michelle tried to touch it and smacked the hand away.

 **"Hold on, I'm going to get something."** Michelle said as she disappeared for a few minutes, she later came back with a bandage and began to ball it up into a small ball before gently applying it to the bloody nose. The bandage turned red as the blood began to absorb into it before it was tossed to the side and another one was applied to the nose, staining it red also. The process repeated itself for a few minutes until the nose had ceased bleeding and just left a stained red mark on her face; as Michelle quietly wiped the remainder of the blood off Arachne's face she bundled up the bloody bandages and threw them away in the other room. She later came back to see Arachne sitting on a fur pillow and facing the table while rubbing her nose.

 **"Sorry about elbowing you in the nose."** Michelle apologized.

 **"Bah, it's fine. You always told me to not sneak up on you because you react violently, guess I learned my lesson."** Arachne shrugged while observing the knives. She picked up a knife that had her name on it and observed it with great interest. The blade had a spider's web on it with a spider near the middle coming towards a wrapped up insect and near the tip was numerous insects that looked to be struggling. The handle was green in color and had a spider's head near it staring at the wielder with malicious intent.

 **"I already like this knife."** Arachne said gazing at it with interest.

 **"I'm not even going to ask why. But make sure you thank Ken for making it for you."** Michelle said.

 **"He made these?! I knew he was creative but damn, this is amazing."** Arachne complemented.

 **"Yeah... you need anything else for your nose?"** Michelle asked.

 **"Can you kiss it to make it feel better?"** Arachne asked smiling. Michelle looked at Arachne with a deadpan expression for a minute before suddenly punching her nose, making it bleed again.

 **"Ow! I was kidding! Michelle come back! "** Arachne cried as she held her nose to stop the bleeding.

 **"Fuck off."** Michelle growled and marched out of the room, leaving Arachne to nurse another bloody nose. She sighed rubbing the tender spot on her nose before getting up and walking towards her room.

* * *

 **Two weeks later: (Another unnecessary time skip)**

 **"Achoo! Fuck!"** Ares said as he sneezed loudly. These past two weeks had been hard for him and Michelle since both had gotten sick from their hunting trip, but Michelle had recovered quicker. Apparently he couldn't go outside with just shorts anymore, while his torso could handle most of the cold, his feet and legs couldn't; his head could handle it to a certain extent but not much. Right now he was in bed covered head to toe in blankets with a few people visiting him to give him some medicine, mainly Brock and Arachne, but otherwise no one was allowed near him until his sickness was gone. Rei and Ken would sometimes visit but usually had something around their faces, to avoid getting any airborne sickness, and just talk to him for a few hours until he fell asleep. The bedroom door opened to reveal Michelle, Arachne, and Brock enter with something in their hands; Arachne's smile didn't help since she gave that sickening sweet smile that sent a chill down his spine.

 **"Whaaaaaat?"** Ares groaned as he looked at the three.

 **"Hey man, we have to give you more medicine. Dad said so."** Brock said.

 **"No, that shit is gross."** Ares huffed and turned.

 **"Oh quit being such a fucking baby and take your medicine."** Michelle huffed. She sat on the bed and grabbed his shoulder but growled when he rolled away from her and glared at her from the corner of his eye.

 **"Ares come on... see? It's not that bad. Yum."** Arachne said making slurping noises.

 **"Arachne, I'm not a fucking hatchling."** Ares said.

 **"Then stop acting like one and take the goddamn medicine."** Michelle sighed.

 **"Let me think about it... no."** He said after a moment's pause.

 **"Fuck this."** Michelle said and climbed up on Ares stomach to hold him in place.

 **"Get off!"** Ares snarled as he thrashed around, making Michelle struggle to stay on.

 **"Dammit Ares stay still!"** She shouted. **"Are you two dick snots just going to stand there or are you going to help me?!"** She snarled. Arachne and Brock went on either side of Ares and held his arms while Michelle grabbed the medicine and poured it in the tiny measurement cup. She put it near his mouth but scowled when he moved his head to the side, she tried to do it again but he moved it again and gave a childish pout. He kept moving his head all over the place while Michelle tried to give him the medicine, after a few minutes of trying to give it to him 'nicely' she got fed up and swiftly grabbed his face. His mouth was suddenly forced open and he gave a audible snarl before suddenly going quiet when the viscous purple liquid was poured down his throat, any struggle he once had ceased immediately making Arachne and Brock let go. Michelle closed his mouth and hopped off his stomach before backing up to see that he was stock still and stared at the ceiling for a minute.

 **"Uhhhhh, is he okay?"** Brock asked as he looked at the suddenly still Goliath.

 **"He's fine, he's just acting like a fucking baby. Ares stop, you're overreacting."** Michelle huffed and turned to exit.

 **"Michelle, he's not acting."** Arachne said.

 **"How do you know?"** Michelle asked.

 **"Because I'm pretty sure his normal complexion isn't green."** Arachne pointed. Michelle scoffed then turned around before going wide eyed as she looked at Ares; his face was green while he looked to be straining himself. She quickly rushed over and looked at his face while Arachne and Brock peered over her shoulders, all three later backed up when Ares' cheeks puffed up and he quickly sat up and vomited in a nearby waste bin. His normal complexion eventually started to return and he started to fall asleep but was kept awake when Michelle lightly slapped his face, making him give a tired growl.

 **"What?"** He growled tiredly, and looked to see Michelle with a skull bowl with some hot meat soup in it. It was a large skull that belonged to an Ursa that Brock had killed weeks before, turns out if you take something off a dead grimm fast enough then it won't disappear with the rest.

 **"Here, you need to eat."** She said giving him the bowl. He looked at it before slowly closing his eyes but later opened them when he was sat up by Brock, he saw that Brock was holding him up while Arachne was behind him to act as a pillow just in case he fell backwards while Michelle was in front of him with a ceramic spoon that had some of the soup on it. He slowly opened his mouth and Michelle stuck the spoon in and waited until it was clear of contents before sticking it back in the bowl again, scooping up more contents and waiting until he opened his mouth again. They repeated this process until the bowl was empty and Ares was almost asleep, Arachne helped Brock get him settled in the bed while Michelle lifted his head and placed a pillow under it.

 **"How are Rei and Ken?"** Ares asked tiredly.

 **"They're good, they miss you but otherwise good."** Brock said.

 **"They don't have anything wrong with them do they?"** Ares asked.

 **"Nah, they've been chomping to see you though."** Brock said.

 **"...Okay..."** Ares said tiredly. His eyes drooped down and he fell asleep on his side making the occasional groan in pain, all three sighed then left the room quietly. It hasn't been good as far as food these last few weeks, there are days when they have little to eat or nothing to eat at all. Brock, Mathias, and Michelle have been trying their hardest to provide food for everybody but come up short every time; Brock makes too much noise, Mathias can't stay out very long but when he does he manages to catch something, and Michelle gets angry to quick which usually leads to mistakes. Arachne doesn't hunt due to her being partially inactive during the cold and hate for it, thus her reason for not hunting and staying behind with the children. The children tried to help out and hunt but were stopped every time by one of the adults, though that didn't stop them from trying to sneak out. Without Ares leading the hunting party food was scarce and it was becoming harder and harder to contain the children from doing something foolish just to get food in their stomachs; last week if Mathias had not woken up in the middle of the night then he wouldn't have been able to stop the children from going out into the cold.

 **"I really hope he gets better, it's getting hard to keep food around now."** Brock said as he led them through the halls, gently pushing past Lilith who was carrying a pot of snow to melt.

 **"You're telling me, I haven't eaten in a couple of days."** Arachne said.

 **"What?! Why not?!"** Brock asked worriedly.

 **"I've been giving my share towards the kids and Ares."** She shrugged.

 **"Well judging by what Mathias said this morning, he should be better by tomorrow."** Michelle said.

 **"Oh thank god."** Brock breathed.

 **"Yeah, I feel like I could eat a horse."** Arachne patted her stomach.

 **"With you I feel like that's not a figure of speech."** Michelle deadpanned.

 **"That's a figure of speech?"** Arachne asked.

 **"What the fuck is wrong with you?"** Brock asked.

 **"Whatever Brock, you don't even know what a horse looks like."** Arachne huffed.

 **"Yes I do. Dad and I saw one here years ago, question is how do you know?"** Brock asked.

 **"Back on Shear a colonist brought one and I ate it."** Arachne shrugged. Brock looked at her with a look of horror before walking faster than them. Michelle looked at Arachne with an annoyed expression while the latter just flashed a playful one.

 **"See what you did? You've offended our gentle giant by saying you ate his favorite animal."** Michelle said sarcastically.

 **"Oh come on. He acts like he hasn't eaten one before."** Arachne said rolling her eyes.

 **"Because he hasn't you dumb fuck, he took us to ride one years ago."** Michelle said. Arachne rolled her eyes and leaped up onto Brock's shoulders while leaning over and peering at him. He looked at her with a stern expression before focusing his eyes on the path ahead of him.

 **"Brock? Brock come on, I was just joking."** Arachne laughed and kissed his forehead. She suddenly felt the air around her dip down and looked up to see that they were outside. Brock grabbed her by the legs and carried her in a bridal position, making her cheeks tint pink, and looked up to see Brock's impassive face.

 **"Brock? What are you doing?"** She asked slowly, peering at his impassive face. She yelped loudly when she was suddenly airborne and landed in the cold snow, her body tensed immensely as the snow assaulted her skin.

 **"FUUUUUUUUCK! Brock you asshole! You know I hate the fucking snow!"** She shrieked and pounced on him, clinging to his chest and shivering. Her hair was soggy while her clothes stuck to her skin making her shiver more, a pair of hands grabbed her and lifted her up in the air making her panic when she felt Brock lift her up again.

 **"Brock no! I'm sorry! I was kidding about the whole horse thing, I've never actually seen one before until you showed us! Please don't put me back in the snow!"** She cried. She felt herself lowered and desperately clung to his chest making a scared chittering noise while staring wide eyed. Michelle was shocked at the once jovial spider monster that didn't know when to shut up now as a scared vulnerable girl, her shocked expression was replaced with a mischievous one as she stared at Arachne. Some new blackmail had found its way into her mind. Arachne wrapped her legs around his stomach while her arms wrapped around his neck, she placed her head in the crook of his neck and stared ahead blankly with wide eyes. Brock wrapped his arms around her and took her inside with a smug expression on his face while Arachne just stared blankly at the entrance of the cave before she caught sight of Michelle looking at her with a mischievous expression.

 **"You tell anybody about this and I will forcefully face fuck you."** Arachne hissed.

 **"Hmm, let me think about that threat... nah, I'm still going to tell everybody."** Michelle smiled.

 **"You bitch."** Arachne hissed at her and clung tighter onto Brock trying to get some warmth. They all entered the dining hall and noticed that all the children were sitting at the table with Mathias at the cooking pot with the last of the meat in the pot. He turned around to see Arachne clinging to Brock like her life depended on it and raised an eyebrow.

 **"Care to explain?"** Mathias asked.

 **"Arachne said she ate a horse so I decided to throw her in the snow."** Brock said making Arachne tighten her grip at the mention of snow.

 **"Hmm, well. Try not to do it to many times, I don't want my blankets gone when I go to bed."** Mathias said turning back to the pot and stirring the soup. He grabbed different bowls and began to pour soup in each of them and setting them in front of the children, they smiled in gratitude before eating, and gave Brock, Michelle, and Arachne one. Arachne quickly scarfed down her food and curled up into a ball to stop shivering; all the children looked at her before shrugging and eating their food again. Mathias sat down on his pillow and crossed his legs while sipping on some of his gojiberry tea. His ears suddenly perked up when he heard a loud groan and shuffling in the hallway before a loud thump resonated in it, sighing before getting up he marched into the hallway to see Ares face down into the ground. He tapped his foot as he stared at the younger monster in front of him.

 **"Ares you need to stop."** Mathias sighed.

 **"No."** Ares huffed.

 **"You're not going to get any better if you keep trying to force yourself to get better."** Mathias sighed.

 **"Yes I will, watch me."** Ares replied struggling to stand up before he got onto his knees then his feet.

 **"Get your ass back to bed before I make you."** Mathias scowled. Ares looked at the older monster's face before sighing and shuffling back into the room, he saw the medicine on a nearby stand and glared at it before popping his head out of the room.

 **"Hey Mathias?"** He asked.

 **"Yes?"** Mathias replied turning around.

 **"Why the hell do we have to take this nasty ass medicine?"** Ares asked.

 **"Because I learned it helps with illness. Brock and I learned this when we first came here, those little disgusting viscous liquid help a lot. More than the mixtures that I usually make."** Mathias answered.

 **"I'd rather take your mixtures than this crap."** Ares shuddered as he looked at the purple liquid.

 **"Noted. I'll make you some from a couple of roots and herbs the next time you get sick. Now get back in the damn bed."** Mathias ordered.

 **"Fine."** Ares huffed and closed the door. Mathias shook his head and headed back to the dining room to see everything consumed... even his tea.

 **"Who drank all my tea?"** Mathias sighed pinching the bridge of his nose. All hands pointed to Brock who looked around before chuckling nervously when he saw Mathias standing next to him.

 **"H-hey dad... you make a mean batch of tea, am I right?"** He laughed nervously. Mathias' eyes narrowed immensely before he smacked Brock in the back of his head with the stick.

 **"Ow! Dad stop! I'm sorry, I'll make you another batch."** Brock cried as he covered his head to shield himself from the assault.

 **"You idiot! Do you have any idea how hard it is to enjoy tea without you drinking it?"** Mathias said as he continued the assault.

 **"Pretty easy? Ow!"** Brock yelled as Mathias smacked his forehead. The latter huffed and walked away leaving the rest of the occupants to stare at a bruised Brock, even with his hardened skin the hits still hurt.

 **"Why?"** Brock asked as he looked to see Arachne smile at him before leaning in to whisper in his ear.

 **"That's for throwing me in the snow, you know I hate it."** She said, flicking his nose lightly. The dining hall was quickly left when all the occupants left to turn in for the night, unaware of a small drone enter the cave before leaving after a few minutes.

* * *

 **The next day:**

The morning came quicker than most would like but came none the less. A few occupants were already up and going through the motions of the day, mostly the children, while a couple slept. A quiet snore resonated through the room as Ares slept with the covers up to his shoulders, he slowly woke up and stretched out his muscles while cracking his bones also. His health had increased dramatically, making him wonder if he had been sick at all but later dismiss it since he was for a few days. His stomach rumbled loudly and mad him groan and sigh before heading to the dining hall to see all the children gathered around something sprawled out on the table.

 **"What are you guys doing?"** Ares asked rubbing his eyes.

 **"Ares!"** Rei and Ken yelled, barreling into him. He grunted as they hit his stomach before laughing and picking them up, the other children watched before huffing and walking up to him, engulfing him in a group hug. He raised an eyebrow before shrugging and kneeling down to their level and opening his arms to hug all of them; personally he didn't know why they were so affectionate but right now he didn't care in the slightest. After a few more moments of hugging they disbanded and gathered around something on the table, from the angle he was at it had the pelt of a Beowolf, with the head still attached but the bottom jaw missing.

 **"What's this?"** Ares asked picking the object up, much to the dismay of the children. He finally gazed at the outfit they somehow made for him. It was the pelt of a Beowolf (He assumed it must have been skinned alive to get it) that was fashioned into a hood of some sort, the rest of the pelt going more towards the left shoulder and ending towards the middle of the back. There was a fur that covered the shoulders and leaned more towards the left side also and had flaps that hung loosely from the shoulders down to the chest area that was connected with two straps going in an x formation. There was a red cloth that seemed to act as a belt of some sort or for another reason with a flap with a three arrow design going down between his legs and around his rear and had numerous pouches on it. The pants were made out of animal skin and seemed to be dark brown in appearance, there was also a hole for his tail to enter with ease. The boots were also made out of animal skin and fur and had multiple flaps on it with a yellowish brown string wrapping around them, keeping them tight fitting but not tight enough to cut off circulation.

 **"Ares we're not done!"** Rei cried trying to reach for it.

 **"What's there left to do?"** Heasked.

 **"We still need to make the mask fit!"** She said.

 **"Don't."** He said looking back at it with interest.

 **"W-what?"** She asked surprised.

 **"I said don't. It's perfect."** He said, setting it down carefully.

 **"Wait but what about your mask?"** Orka asked with confusion, tilting his head.

 **"I'll wear it when I feel like it."** Ares replied.

 **"So... do you like it?"** Lilith asked.

 **"Yeah I do, good job you guys."** He complemented, making the children beam with pride. He stood up and walked over to the pot to see it empty then went back to the storage room to see that the container was empty too, he scowled then smiled when he realized that he could hunt again. Walking back to see the children looking at the outfit with pride, they were suddenly brought out when it was snatched from their sight, they looked to see Ares take the outfit and disappear for a few minutes then reappear with it on. His look just gave off that survivalist vibe and made him appear more wild than he already was... in his half-breed form.

 **"This just feels natural. Now from what I heard the other day, you all tried sneaking out to go hunt?"** Ares asked with a raised eyebrow. The children looked at him with wide eyes then looked to the ground ashamed, some of them began to start whimpering and tears leaking from their eyes.

 **"I'm not mad at you all. I was worried when I was told you tried to go out by yourselves, hell you all had me so worried I was about to get up and look for you guys even if I was sick. Some part of me is proud while the other part is disappointed."** He said.

 **"B-but we w-were trying to help."** Mimi sniffled.

 **"I know, but you eight know the rules. Look I'm proud you all were thinking about everyone and did what you could to help out but you all aren't at that stage where you can go alone. So promise me one thing: promise me that whatever you do, do not go out by yourselves until you're ready. Mathias, Michelle, Arachne, Brock, and even me would lose it if we lost even one of you; we view you eight as family and no matter what family stick together until the end."** Ares said holding out a hand with the palm up. Each of the children smiled and placed a hand on his palm, he placed his other hand on theirs and looked at each one of them before smiling and standing up. He left to one of the rooms down the hallway for a few minutes before later appearing with his stone shards and a smirk on his face.

 **"Alright, here's the deal. Mathias said we could go out hunting but you all can only stay out until this afternoon."** He said.

 **"Awwwww."** The children groaned.

 **"Yeah it sucks, I know. On the bright side we'll be able to catch more since I'm back which means we can eat like true monsters."** Ares said. The children beamed at the thought of being able to eat and quickly grabbed their knives and spears before appearing before Ares again with smiles on their faces, he laughed and turned quickly before throwing on the hood and exiting the cave system.

 **"You all ready to hunt?"** He looked back. All of them gave shrill roars in anticipation and thrust their spears in the air. Ares looked back at them and threw his head up, joining in and giving his own feral roar making birds in the distance fly away startled before running into the frozen forest with eight young monsters in tow. All of them with beaming smiles on their faces and leaving multiple footprints in the snow. Michelle, Arachne, and Brock later arrived at the entrance and leaned on it.

 **"At least we know he's back."** Michelle deadpanned.

 **"Oh come on Michelle. You're glad he's back, it means we get more food and the young ones won't try anything stupid."** Brock smiled.

 **"Whatever, I'm going back to sleep."** Michelle huffed and walked back inside, swaying her tail as she walked. Arachne looked at Brock and opened her mouth.

 **"I will throw you in the snow if you say a word."** Brock said stoically making Arachne's mouth clamp shut before bolting inside. Brock laughed and walked inside to the dining hall and noticed how cold it was. He threw his head back and gurgled loudly before spitting a molten sludge at the pile of firewood and igniting it. The temperature of the room slowly rose to a comfortable temperature making him sit down and close his eyes, falling asleep on the table.

* * *

 **Three hours:**

The hunting party came back with smiles on their faces. Ares managed to catch another elk and the children with their combined efforts managed to catch one also, the poor animal couldn't even get the chance to fight back as it was stabbed, bitten, clawed, and tackled to the ground by a group of young ones. Although it was a combined effort, Rei and Ken dealt the killing blow by stabbing its jugular and smashing its head with a nearby rock. Ares agreed to drag both the bodies back if they could kill one, and not surprisingly they did, so here they all were.

 **"I'm impressed. You've managed to kill your first large animal with nothing despite your small sizes."** Ares complemented.

 **"I mean it was your idea for us to climb up in the trees while you surprised one from the bushes."** Ken said still trying to clean off his knife.

 **"Still. You all did good but keep in mind, not all hunts will be this successful."** Ares informed.

 **"Right."** They all replied in unison. Ares laughed and stopped when he heard something shuffle in the bushes, the children heard it too and stopped while holding up their spears. The area was quiet for a solid minute before something jumped out of the bushes and lunge at Mimi, it was intercepted when Ares shoulder charged it and knocked it into a nearby tree. The unknown creature was revealed to be an Alpha Beowolf that was almost ten feet tall, its mouth was foaming as it stared at the potential meals ahead of it. It charged and lunged at one of them but was interrupted by Ares again and was held by the throat by his hands. Ares turned to address the children behind him.

 **"Go! Now!"** He ordered.

 **"What about you?!"** Rei shouted.

 **"I'll be fine! Now go!"** He yelled back. Despite their want to stay and help they knew that fighting would be a lost cause. Listening to them leave he was thrown back when the Alpha stuck its hind legs on his chest and pushed roughly, making him fly through the air and slam into a nearby rock. He glared at the Alpha and picked up the rock before hurling it at the Beowolf who dodged the rock and dashed forward. It slashed a paw at him before jumping back when it was charged at but was thrown to the side when the ground was smashed in front of it. Ares then saw a large branch and ripped it off the tree, swinging at the Beowolf and smacking it in the face, drawing blood from its mouth. The Beowolf retaliated by slashing at Ares' right side and clipping him, leaving three long bloody scratches alongside the ribs. The cut wasn't deep enough to be fatal but it was to draw blood that seemed to slowly ooze out and drip onto the ground; the snow turned red as blood dripped and flew all over the place when Ares and the Alpha traded slashes, bites, and kicks. The fight began to last for almost ten minutes before both knocked each other away and stared at one another. Ares had bruises, bite marks, and slashes while the Alpha sported the same wounds except to a deeper extent. Both of them charged each other and slashed at one another but Ares ducked the last second and smashed the tip of the tail in its jaw, breaking it. The Alpha howled in agony and backed away trying to fix its jaw but was tackled to the ground and repeatedly stomped in the face. It tried to slash as Ares but howled when its arm was twisted a full 360 degrees, snapping the arm and revealing bone at an unnatural angle. It went for a slash with the other arm but quickly regretted it when it found its hand in a mouth and four of its fingers crushed under a massive bite force, cleaving all of them off. Ares slowly crawled off the Alpha and stared at its broken body.

 **"You attack the young ones? The ones I consider blood?! I'll fucking eat you alive!"** Ares roared as he suddenly lunged at the Alpha and bit its neck, causing blood to squirt all over the ground. Ripping his head up with the flesh still in his mouth, he swallowed it whole before bending down and taking another bite. He sat up and dug his claws in its side and began to tear into the poor Alpha as it howled in agony. His face sported a feral smile as he tore deeper and deeper into its body, snapping bone and rupturing organs as he mutilated the grimm. The grimm howls became silent as the torturous mutilation started to reach its peak, it suddenly stopped when Ares didn't hear the howls of pain anymore.

 **"You little pest! I didn't say you could die!"** Ares roared before raising his fists and smashing the Alpha's head repeatedly until it was nothing but a soupy mix of blood and gore. He slowly climbed off the corpse and fell backwards while taking deep breaths to become calm again, the blood from the corpse stained the pristine white snow a crimson red and was spreading slowly. His vision began to darken and he leaned back onto a nearby tree, closing his eyes.

 **"A nap sounds nice."** He whispered to himself.

 **"Ares!"** He heard someone scream before he blacked out from his wounds.

* * *

Michelle dragged Ares back to the keep in haste, her skin was cold but she brushed it aside and kept her stride. Despite his wounds being small lacerations they were still bleeding at an alarming rate making her quicken her pace. They finally arrived at the keep and entered it quickly, she wasted no time and called out to Mathias.

 **"Mathias!"** She shouted.

 **"What is it this time child? I'm cooking dinne-"** He stopped when he saw Ares' condition and quickly rushed to his side, placing an arm over his shoulders and help carry him to his room.

 **"Brock! Arachne! Get over here now!"** Mathias ordered, making the two quickly rush over. Brock looked at Ares one time and was immediately by his side while Arachne was conjuring up webs from her wrist, though these weren't her usual acid laced webs, these were the normal kind she used to traverse across surfaces. They entered the room and set Ares down on the bed gently and began to strip off the clothes that the children made for him; most of the wounds were on his chest and arms fortunately.

 **"Michelle, knife."** Mathias ordered and waited as she quickly heated up her knife and handed it to him.

 **"Brock, sit him up."** He said. Brock gently but quickly sat Ares up and waited for Mathias to pinch one of the wounds and place the heated knife on it, the sound of sizzling flesh could be heard while the smell was evident in the air. Mathias repeated this process until he sealed up all the wounds.

 **"Arachne banda-"** He suddenly stopped when all the cuts reopened and bled but at a slower pace. All three peered closer to see black ooze slowly leaking from the wounds and cover them before slowly hardening once they covered all the wounds. The hardened ooze hardened to the point of rock before cracking and letting out steam, falling off Ares' body, leaving scarred skin where the lacerations were located.

 **"What was that?"** Michelle asked as she looked at the new scar.

 **"Hmm, it seems he has some sort of control. Brock, didn't you say when you found him he was in his original form?"** Mathias asked.

 **"Yeah. I mean I was too but it's easy for me since we've been doing it for years."** Brock said.

 **"It seems we need to start teaching him how to go back and forth between forms."** Mathias said.

 **"Yep."** Brock nodded.

 **"Okay, hold up. What the fuck are you two talking about?"** Arachne asked. Her and Michelle had that 'look' that said they wanted to know more and weren't going to leave until they got an answer. Both men sweat dropped before sighing, Mathias nodded towards Brock.

 **"Go get the food."** He said. Brock nodded and left the room leaving Arachne and Michelle alone with Mathias who sat in front of a sleeping Ares. The three didn't say a word in the span of a few minutes before Mathias sighed and rubbed the his forehead.

 **"Alright girls, what I say here must not leave this room. Got it?"** He asked.

 **"Yes we got it Mathias, we can continue now."** Arachne said.

 **"Arachne I'm being serious this time. Do. Not. Let. This. Live. The. Room."** He said seriously, emphasizing each word. Both of them looked at him cautiously before closing the door and sitting on the bed, with Michelle closest to Ares.

 **"Alright what's so serious about this."** Michelle asked.

 **"Throughout this whole time we've been able to go back in our original forms."** Mathias said.

 **"What?"** Arachne gaped.

 **"Yes, though it's dangerous to do so. I've kept it hidden from you two because I felt you two would do something foolish. I did it to keep those hunters away from us."** Mathias said.

 **"Us foolish? We'd never do something like that."** Arachne brushed off.

 **"Arachne you are the most reckless one aside from Ares and the most violent. If you were to go into your original form then you could not only lead the hunters to us but go to Vale and start terrorizing it."** He said. He rubbed the back of his head and sighed. **"Girls please understand, Brock and I have been doing this for years and learned to control our violent urges but with Ares and his episode I can't risk another mishap when you two decide to go into your original forms."** He sighed. Arachne and Michelle were about to argue but were interrupted by groaning by the bed and turned to see Ares sit up with some difficulty. He looked to see everyone, except Brock, look at him with slightly worried expressions, shaking his head and placing a hand on it; he was surprised when Michelle suddenly hugged him.

 **"Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you."** She repeated.

 **"For what?"** He asked.

 **"For saving Mimi."** She said. Ares looked at her as she let go and shrugged, he walked out into the hallway and noticed that the sun was slowly falling, signalling it was late afternoon possibly early evening. Sighing and walking back to the room with some pain, there was suddenly a loud thump and Arachne flying in the hallway with Michelle marching out with a slightly pink face before marching to the dining hall. He stood there and sighed before shaking his head slowly and turning in for the night... he'd eat in the morning and take a lazy day tomorrow. He deserved it.

* * *

 **AN: Wow, that chapter was meant to be out about a week ago but I got pretty lazy. Anyways some of you may be wondering what Ares' outfit will be from now on, just think of Connor's outfit from tyranny of King Washington. I feel like that single outfit just describes how much of the wild Ares is used to, from the animal pelts, to the bones as weapons, and etc. Now some of you might be complaining about how the hell did he get sick and let me tell you. They're not monsters anymore (well not complete monsters) and are susceptible to everything a human can be, to an extent. They get sick like us, injured like us, breath like us, somewhat eat like us, and try to live like us to an extent. You're all probably wondering why Ares seems like a big fucking softie and it's because he's near people he can call a family, as time passed by he saw this group as people he cares for deeply and will go to the ends of the earth to make sure they're safe, as such example when he fought the Alpha. I also used the throwing shards from far cry primal because they're so damn fun to use and the mask is like an army of two mask as far as the frame; I'm trying to produce the vibe of they don't really care about civilization and only use things Mathias picks up, but other than that they mostly rely on the wilderness's resources for their supplies. Oh and although the children are young they still want to be seen as big kids so they can show the five adults (well three since Ares, Michelle, and Arachne are still teenagers) that they can take care of themselves but they still enjoy making things in their free time. I know I said the usual cast won't be in the next few chapters but it's hard not to so expect them most likely, in all seriousness though I just felt like doing a chapter where the group face the winter and what not. Sorry if it seems a little disorganized, I've been in a sort of funk lately and am really disorganized with pretty much everthing, so sorry about that. Well it's been fun writing this and I hope you all at least somewhat enjoy it because if you don't then I'll feel really shitty and stop writing for a while but then bounce back with enthusiasm and write again. Anyways, thanks for reading, you all know the golden rule about reviews, and take it easy. Have a good one.**


	10. Chapter 10: Unwanted return

**AN: Welcome back everyone, and thank you for sticking with this story so far. So far this story seems to be doing well in my opinion, aside from my first negative review which was also taken as a light correction I wanted to thank you all. I don't have much to say but now it's time for reviews.**

 **GrimmKingOfAtlas: Thanks man. I wanted to have them somewhat like us, because if they weren't susceptible to the wilderness then I would feel like they're too powerful. The delivery of the time skips felt... somewhat off but I'll try not to do so many; I had to advance the time somehow and I'll continue to do the time skips but at a lesser extent. A tip for writing for you, just keep doing what makes you feel comfortable; you're amazing at writing and I've enjoyed your story so far so keep up the good work man.**

 **Striker Energy: It's one that I use too.**

 **XCOMHEAVY12: Not going to lie that is a badass review, I think you might have become my favorite reviewer. I'm actually really grateful you've taken the time out of your day to make these reviews and to be honest I feel that you would make an excellent author with creating a story. Anyways, thanks for reviewing and keep up those badass reviews while I try to keep your attention.**

 **Now that all the reviews are out of the way, LET'S ROLL ON WITH THE FUCKING STORY!**

* * *

 **Spring:**

The winter had passed in a slow yet comfortable pace. It passed with a little difficulty and made the group rethink on how to overcome the hardships but still overcome it nonetheless. There wasn't much to do right now, the hunting party had come back with enough food to last them a few days, the air was warm and somewhat moist, and the children were doing their own things. Today would be considered a lazy day for most but some individuals were still doing somethings, one of these individuals was not Ares, who decided to take a lazy day while the others did their own activities. The room was cool yet warm at the same time, which gave it a comfortable feel and made it the perfect time to take a nap. Despite what others thought about him not being lazy, they would be dead wrong because he's the laziest monster around when the time came. His nap only lasted two and a half hours before he was groggily woken up when the children decided to use him as a jungle gym, something he usually wouldn't mind but now wasn't the time. It was nap time dammit!

 **"Ares! Wake up, it's breakfast!"** Rei shouted while batting his head side to side.

 **"No, it's the afternoon and it's nap time."** He said.

 **"You've been asleep for the past few hours though."** Rei whined. His body was shaken from all sides as the children began to shake with as much strength as they could muster.

 **"Ugh, fine..."** He groaned.

 **"Yay!"** They all cheered and hopped off. He groaned before slowly getting up and walking out of the room, brushing a hand against the cave walls in a gentle manner, he made his way towards the dining hall to see everyone there eating while the children were making something. He sat next to Michelle and nodded his head in appreciation when Mathias handed him a ceramic plate of cooked deer.

 **"Ares, I have a task for you and Brock."** Mathias said.

 **"Is it taking out another Grimm that's getting to close to home?"** He asked, stuffing a piece of venison in his mouth.

 **"No, I need you to deliver this message to the headmaster at the hunter school."** Mathias said. Ares stopped eating and looked at Mathias before looking at the envelope made out of animal fur before looking back at him for a minute.

 **"Why?"** He asked.

 **"I know that you don't want to go back there but if you don't then he'll keep sending his damned drones to spy on our home."** Mathias explained.

 **"Language!"** The children shouted in unison making Mathias shake his head.

 **"Wait, so that creep has been spying on us this whole time?!"** Arachne exclaimed, covering her chest.

 **"Yes, I just found out about it this morning."** Mathias said while reaching in a nearby bag and throwing a dismantled drone on the table, it clattered against the stone table before skidding a bit and stopping right in front of Ken and Rei. The former picked up the drone with great interest before turning to Mathias with a curious expression.

 **"Do you mind if I keep this?"** Ken asked.

 **"I want to know why first."** Mathias said.

 **"I want to make something."** Ken answered while separating the components of the drone in different piles. Mathias just sighed and nodded before turning back to Ares who just scowled before taking the folder and placing it on the table.

 **"When do we leave?"** He asked.

 **"Tomorrow, and when you get there have Brock translate for you. I still don't understand why you won't learn how to speak like a human."** Mathias wondered.

 **"Because I don't bother trying to integrate into their society and I don't want to become those genocidal degenerates known as the white fang."** Ares answered.

 **"Fair enough, but there is a Grimm near the keep that needs to be handled. So you four take care of it."** Mathias said pointing to Ares, Brock, Arachne, and Michelle. They nodded before going to their rooms and getting out of their shorts and shirts before returning with their hunting gear on. Over the past few months with the help of Arachne, the children had made hunting clothes like the one Ares had on. Brock had dark cargo pants on made out of some animal skin and fur with the same type of boots as Ares, while his shirt and coat was made out of the skin of an Ursa, his coat was black from the Ursa fur and it still had the Ursa head acting as a hood. Arachne had a a tan pair of pants that would slightly hug her legs and a toxic green tank top made from some animal skin and her poison, she had a knife holder on the back of her hip with a radioactive design on it with spider webs surrounding it. Michelle had a pair of blue jeans (which she requested Mathias buy for her) that would hug her legs with a pair of boots that was the same type as Ares also, a hoodie made out of a Beowolf pelt but was blue in color from the berries Ken collects for paint, and a necklace made out of Beowolf teeth and claws.

 **"See you in an hour."** Ares said walking out, followed by the rest. Once all of them left the keep Mathias turned to see the children looking at him with smug smiles on their faces.

 **"Children no..."** He said in a warning tone.

 **"Too late!"** Rei laughed and bolted out of the dining hall followed by the rest of the children while giggling loudly; Mathias sighed in annoyance before slowly getting up and following the children.

 **"Getting too old for this shit"** He grumbled.

* * *

Spring was always a favorite for many, its wonderful feel of the air, the sunny sky, the warm water, and especially the green flora. The quiet trek through the forest was peaceful and comfortable that would make anybody feel at home if you lived in the forest. The group had found the Beowolf that was getting to close to home and took cover behind a fallen tree to see that it was currently sleeping in the middle of an open space, though something didn't fell right. Brock saw something beneath the Beowolf which looked like a piece of metal and tapped his hand into the ground, making a small rock appear before picking it up and throwing it at the piece of metal. The metal suddenly sprang up and closed in a triangle formation to reveal that it was a cage of some sort. The Beowolf inside suddenly woke up and started to thrash around inside the cage for a minute; Ares looked at Brock.

 **"How'd you know?"** He asked.

 **"If I concentrate enough then I can feel a foreign object on the ground, like metal."** Brock explained.

 **"Hmm, that's kind of cool."** Ares said.

 **"Well thank you, I do try to be."** Brock flexed.

 **"I said it's cool not you."** Ares joked.

 **"You wound me brother."** Brock said, putting a hand on his heart and giving a mock hurt expression.

 **"I do try."** Ares said. Michelle rolled her eyes at the banter while Arachne just giggled in response before the two looked back at the steel cage. They looked back at the two boys who had climbed the tree without them noticing and talked before looking at each other and climbing also. Arachne climbed the tree in a frighteningly quick manner and plopped next to Brock who almost fell out of the tree if Ares had not grabbed him while Michelle slowly climbed up and sat next to Ares. She looked at Ares who was talking to Brock again and pondered how long it had taken them to become close, it really only took a couple of months for him to view Brock as an older brother. Her thoughts were cut short when they suddenly stopped talking and stared ahead at the bushes moving, she followed their gaze and saw a burly man with a thick mustache tap on cage before giving a hearty laugh and drag the cage away. Ares scowled at the sight of someone from the hunter school but then sighed in annoyance when realizing that tomorrow was the day when Brock and him had to go there to deliver a message.

 **"So what do we tell Mathias about the Grimm? Because I'm assuming that't the one that was close to home."** Arachne said.

 **"We tell him that it's been handled and go about our day."** Ares said and jumped off the branch and creating a spiderweb of cracks in the ground, followed by the rest. Michelle was the last to fall and when she did her feet was suddenly wrapped in a rope and she was hoisted up in the air; she yelped in surprise when she was taken airborne before her shirt suddenly dropped and covered her face. Brock sputtered when he saw Michelle's bare chest and Arachne giggled before turning as well, Ares just stared at her chest for a minute before snorting out of his nose and throwing a shard. The rope suddenly snapped as the stone shard went through and Michelle was airborne once again but before she hit the ground a pair of hands caught her; she looked to see Ares hold her in a bridal position before she blushed and quickly stood up. Arachne laughed at Michelle's embarrassed face before recoiling in pain when Michelle walked faster than everyone and let a branch hit Arachne in the face.

 **"Ow! Michelle come on, it's not that bad. Everyone has their embarrassing moments."** Arachne laughed.

 **"Fuck off and leave me alone before I find some snow and throw it at you."** Michelle threatened.

 **"Jokes on you because there is no snow."** Arachne laughed in triumph.

 **"Ares, when you go to that fucking hunter school tomorrow pick up some snow crystals for me."** Michelle said making Arachne blank.

 **"You mean dust crystals?"** Brock asked.

 **"Yes Brock, I mean the fucking crystals. Sue me for not knowing about the name."** Michelle growled making him put his hands up in surrender.

 **"Whoa easy there. I was just asking."** He said. She just glared at him before marching ahead and leaving everyone to look at each other confused. Arachne rubbed her nose and laughed before hopping on Brock's shoulders and humming a tune to the irritation of Ares; Brock just stayed silent and hummed along with the tune which made Ares scowl even more. After a few minutes of humming they both reached a high note and made the male Goliath of the group scowl even more before growling and marching faster than them. He quickly caught up to Michelle and walked next to her in silence making her raise an eyebrow and snort before staring straight ahead.

 **"They annoying you too?"** She asked.

 **"Yes. It's bad enough that Arachne was humming that song but what made it even worse was when Brock joined in and started humming with her. He knows I hate that shit more than anything."** He growled.

 **"Yeah... why did you glare at that man back there?"** She asked.

 **"You noticed?"** He asked.

 **"Yeah, if I didn't notice certain things then I would be dead."** She answered.

 **"You didn't notice that rope on the ground."** He mused then winced in pain when she punched him in the arm.

 **"Shut up! That was embarrassing!"** She shouted with a red face.

 **"Fuck, calm down. It was a joke... jeez."** He mumbled.

 **"Whatever..."** She huffed and walked in silence for the rest of the trip, swaying her tail and accidentally hitting Ares in the leg. He looked at her to see her look back before entering the cave. They saw Mathias on the ground and the children running around the halls giggling while carrying the stick. Mathias groggily looked up and sighed in relief when he saw two of the more responsible teenagers look at him with curious expressions.

 **"You mind telling us what happened?"** Ares asked.

 **"Hide and seek. Children won't stop. Don't have enough tea for this. Tired."** Mathias said in a choppy sentence before getting up slowly and walking to his room. Both of them looked at his retreating form and sighed before Ares picked up a running Rei, Ken, and Andy who were panting before struggling in his grasp. Michelle did the same to Mimi, Lilith, and Kyla who did the same actions as the previous three. The six children struggled in the older monsters' grasps before eventually giving up and calming down, nuzzling into their arms. Frost and Orka looked at the two before calming down themselves and walking over to the two older ones.

 **"Alright, since you all exhausted Mathias we need to put you all down for a nap."** Ares said which made the children whine in protest except Mimi who just fell asleep. Ares looked at her then at Michelle who was busy trying to keep Mimi in her arms since she had become dead weight all of a sudden.

 **"Mimi loves naps more than anything."** Michelle said.

 **"I can tell. Alright since you all won't go down without a fight I'll just have to make you."** He smirked at them. Frost and Orka blanked before quickly bolting to their rooms and getting under the covers as quick as their little bodies would take them, which was surprisingly fast. Ares laughed but then slumped down when Rei, Ken, and Andy became dead weight and slept, he turned to his right to see Michelle laughing at him while trying to carry a sleeping Mimi, Lilith, and Kyla.

 **"Let's just get them to in the bed."** He said quietly and went to Andy's room before gently lowering him into bed and walking out, Michelle did the same to Kyla and Lilith before standing next to Ares and looking at him.

 **"That's the fastest I've seem all of them fall asleep, what's your secret?"** She asked.

 **"Lot's of practice with these two."** He said while bouncing up to push them up further. Michelle just smiled a bit before reaching up and lightly tapping his face while walking away with her tail swaying. He just stood there for a minute before reaching up and brushing a hand against where she touched it, her hand was soft despite how much abuse it's been through. It was as soft as a baby's yet had the appearance of an adult.

 **"Damn, that's the tamest I've ever seen Michelle. Usually the only form of contact someone gets from her is punches."** Arachne's voice rang out from behind, startling him.

 **"Dammit Arachne, Don't do that! They're sleeping!"** Ares growled quietly making her cover her mouth.

 **"Sorry."** She apologized and rocked back and forth on her heels as she followed Ares to his room and looked to see him tuck Rei and Ken in gently. He kissed Rei on the forehead while ruffling Ken's hair, making him tiredly bat his hand away, and close the door behind him before turning his attention towards Arachne who had a smile on her face.

 **"What do you want?"** He asked her.

 **"Where'd Michelle go?"** She smiled.

 **"In her room with Mimi, where's Brock?"** He asked.

 **"Outside being a dumbass as usual."** She shrugged and brushed past to enter the room down the hall. Shaking his head and walking outside he saw Brock heft a large rock over his head and throw it over the cliff's edge and whistled before making a mock explosion when the rock hit the water below.

 **"The hell are you doing?"** Ares asked.

 **"Makin some explosions."** Brock said and picked up another rock.

 **"Why?"** Ares asked.

 **"Dunno, I'm bored"** Brock said.

 **"I can tell."** Ares said and stood next to Brock in silence. They both stood there while looking at the horizon for a few minutes while rotating their arms every so often; Brock picked up another rock and threw it the pond making a large splash. Ares found a nearby rock and threw it further than Brock and made a huge splash that scared a nearby squirrel that was nearby the shoreline of the lake.

 **"I can throw a lot further than you."** Ares said.

 **"Bullshit... It is I who can throw the furthest."** Brock laughed and bent down to curl himself as tightly as possible and conjured up numerous rocks and making them latch onto his body, effectively forming himself into a giant rock ball.

 **"Brock, no."** Ares warned.

 **"Yes."** Brock's voice echoed from within the rock ball before speeding forward and off the cliff; gravity took control of his mass and made him plummet faster and faster into the lake before colliding with the water and creating a large explosion. Water splashed high up into the air, splashing the tip of the cliff before falling back down and filling the lake back up with water. The sound had woken everybody up and made them rush outside to see Ares look over the cliff's edge and look down.

 **"What was that?!"** Michelle exclaimed; she looked around to see Brock nowhere in sight. **"And where's Brock?!"** She asked again.

 **"Judging by the water on the side of the cliff, the huge explosion, and the large rock over the edge... I'd say at the bottom of the lake."** Ares quipped.

 **"So that equals that... and gravity on this planet is..."** Arachne said quietly.

 **"Are you seriously thinking about this?"** He asked.

 **"Huh? No, I'm just calculating how much of a dumbass Brock is for rolling off the side of the cliff."** Arachne waved and continued to think. Mathias just shook his head to the side before putting energy in his wings and levitating over to the side of the cliff and looking over to see Brock slowly climbing up, completely covered in water and had a large fish in his mouth. Smiling like an idiot.

 **"Brock, you never cease to amaze me."** Mathias sighed.

 **"Thanks, glad I can amaze someone with these... rugged good looks of mine."** He flexed making the children laugh and Mathias and the rest roll their eyes. Ares noticed the giant fish in Brock's mouth and quickly grabbed it from him, feeling its weight before slinging it over his shoulder.

 **"Oh sweet a trophy for my room, if only your brain was as big as your muscles."** Ares said and brushed past him. Brock beamed in pride for a second before realizing what Ares said and followed him inside.

 **"What the fuck? Hey, that's my fish!"** He said and chased the other monster inside. Everybody just laughed at the banter between the two and followed them inside, except Mathias who just stood at the edge of the cliff and stared at the falling sun before laughing lightly and shaking his head.

 **"Those boys..."** He chuckled and walked inside.

* * *

 **Morning:**

 **"Brock get up."** Ares said kicking him.

 **"No fuck off, it's early in the morning."** Brock groaned while kicking.

 **"Exactly, now get up so we can get there and get back as soon as possible."** Ares said and began kicking him again. This process went on for a few minutes before Brock snarled in agitation and started flailing around while kicking the blankets off of him and getting up. Ares didn't waste any time and walked out of the keep, staring at the early morning sky and sighing in relief at how beautiful it looked despite it still being early in the morning and most of the wildlife was asleep. Speaking of wildlife it would appear that they hadn't thought about food for the trip and that would be a problem since they had to leave today and-

 **"Before you get in your thinking mode and everything, dad packed us food for the trip."** Brock said while handing Ares a bag of cooked meat.

 **"How'd you know I was thinking?"** Ares asked.

 **"You have this little look... let's go so I can go back to sleep."** Brock said, throwing his hood over his head while Ares did the same. They both started the journey in silence while listening to the various wildlife waking up from the night before; on the way they noticed a camera near a log and stared at it before it was suddenly disabled when a stone shard implanted itself into it. The camera sparked and sputtered before slumping down and tossed when Ares picked it up and threw it into a pile of shit from a nearby animal. The minutes of silence eventually grew to an hour, then the hour grew to two, and finally the two hours grew to three as the two continued towards the 'prodigious' hunter school that trained only the best. It was ten in the morning and the sun still wasn't fully at its peak in the sky which made the morning all the more enjoyable for the two. They stopped on a nearby rock to eat a portion of the meat Mathias had packed for them; they sat in silence before noticing that the sky started to darken for some reason and looked to see clouds in the sky and further ahead of them. Ares sighed while Brock just gave a snort in amusement at the random weather appearance.

 **"Thought it was supposed to be sunny today?"** Ares asked stoically.

 **"Guess we were wrong, might as well stop lolly gagging around and get there."** Brock said stoically also, while holding out a fist.

 **"Then let's get there."** Ares bumped his fist before throwing on his hood again as the rain started to come down lightly. Rain started to come down at a more rapid pace and harder as time progressed, making the two hasten their pace towards the academy. Ares recognized this area from the scent of the trees and blood stains on the ground from either an unfortunate hunter or Grimm, not to mention there's another camera in the inside of a tree. It later found a stone shard in the lens before being ripped out and crushed underneath Brock's foots; the shard was collected and they continued their trek.

 **"Rain's picking up."** Brock said.

 **"Mhmm."** Ares hummed finally arriving at the cliff.

 **"How're we getting up?"** Brock asked.

 **"Simple, we cli-"** Ares stopped when he heard shuffling behind him and slowly turned to peek over his shoulder. He looked at Brock who nodded and disappeared into the brush for a few minutes; he quickly turned and picked up a rock before throwing it into the bushes.

 **"OW!"** He heard someone scream. His body went stiff when he saw Rei, Lilith, and Kyla on the ground rubbing their heads when they dodged the rock and land on the ground. He looked at them before slapping his face and sliding his hand down it and snorting in irritation.

 **"Girls... what are you doing here?"** He asked slowly. Each of them shuffled in place while turning their gaze away from him and mumbling.

 **"W-well... we kind of heard you were going somewhere and..."** Rei trailed off.

 **"And?"** Ares asked.

 **"We wanted to come with you on the adventure."** Lilith said meekly while kicking a pebble on the ground.

 **"You didn't bother telling Mathias did you?"** He asked them.

 **"...No."** Kyla answered.

 **"You three do realize that you're in trouble when you get back right?"** He asked.

 **"What?! Why?!"** Rei shouted.

 **"You three went out without any supervision, followed us to deliver a message, and walked right into a hunter school."** He scolded making them blank, Rei froze at the thought of the place she didn't want to come back to.

 **"I-is it too late to turn back?"** Lilith asked.

 **"Yeah it is... so you three might as well come with us. Where the hell is Brock?"** He asked looking around.

 **"Right here. This little scamp thought she could hide from us."** Brock said, carrying a struggling Frost in his left arm.

 **"Frost, not you too."** Ares groaned.

 **"H-hi Ares. Lovely weather we're having right?"** She laughed nervously but gulped when she saw him scowl at her then at the other three. They turned to Brock for assistance but saw him give the same disapproving look at them and shake his head, which made the four of them shrink down.

 **"We're in trouble aren't we?"** Frost asked nervously.

 **"Big time."** Brock answered, making them shrink even further.

 **"You four are going to be the death of me... Rei, Frost hop on my back and don't let go. Lilith and Kyla, hop on Brock's and hold on tight."** Ares ordered and bent down so they could hop on his back; Brock did the same so the other two could hop on his before both looking at each other and began to climb the cliff with the girls holding tightly on to prevent slipping as the rain poured down with even greater force.

* * *

Blake was in the library alone and just listened to the sound of rain hitting the windows, it was quite relaxing. Her quiet time was interrupted when the librarian had decided to close up shop for the weekend and ushered her out; she sighed and nodded before stepping towards door. She opened her umbrella and stepped out into the pouring rain while staring into space as she walked back towards her dorm. Something bumped into her and knocked her over as well as the book and let them both get drenched in the rain.

"Next time you should watch where your going." She huffed and picked up the book and umbrella. ' _Some people are so indecent.'_ She thought. A growl interrupted her thoughts and made her eyes widen as she slowly turned around to see a hulking figure with a Grimm's pelt for clothing staring at her but she couldn't see their face; she then saw two more figures wearing masks on the figures back stare at her. One stared at her with slight mistrust while the other stared with curiosity.

"Hello?" She asked making the figure growl at her then turn away before walking away with an even bigger figure walking close behind with smaller ones on its back as well.

"Bye Blake..." A small voice echoed out from afar, she turned to a familiar sight of three tails swaying in the wind. She stood with the umbrella over her head and just stared at the spot where the six figures left, then it hit her. The spiked tail and spikes on the back, carrying little ones on their back, three tails on the smaller one, and a voice that addressed her name.

"Rei? Ares?" She asked herself. It couldn't be though; they disappeared months ago along with that giant monster that ripped Neptune's arm off. She shuddered at the sight of that... thing, it still gave her nightmares after hearing that feral roar and Neptune's scream as his arm was chewed from the socket but what got her the most was Rei and Ken's faces. They had the face of absolute betrayal and hurt on them that broke her heart. It wasn't a Grimm since it didn't have any bone armor, last time she checked a Grimm would never eat another Grimm and last but not least, a Grimm couldn't grow to that size without hundreds of years of time and battle on its hands. Shaking her head and pulling out the scroll in her right pocket, she called everyone. The scroll buzzed for a second before Yang picked up.

"Hello?" She asked.

"Is everyone there?" Blake asked.

"Yeah, why?" Yang asked.

"I think I found Ares and Rei." Blake said. The line went silent for a minute.

"Are you sure it's them?" Yang asked.

"I don't know maybe. What other person carries someone on their back?" Blake asked.

"Fair point... did you see where they're heading?" Yang asked.

"It looks like... Ozpin's tower." Blake said.

"Alright, we're on our way. The big man has some questions that need to be answered." Yang said, cracking her knuckles.

"I'll see you three there." Blake said, hanging up and following the six towards Ozpin's tower.

* * *

Ozpin was sitting in his office with a lighthearted expression on his face, while most would see this as a gloomy day he saw it as a fortunate one. Rain always calmed his nerves when he was stressed along with the coffee in his mug, both of those made his day worry free and relaxing. Glynda stood to the side with a relaxed expression as well as she tapped on her scroll, contacting someone then stifling a laugh and typing something.

"Sir?" She asked.

"Hmm?" Ozpin hummed.

"What do you think happened to Ares and his siblings?" She asked.

"I don't know, but what I do know is that someone is taking out cameras in Emerald Forest." He said.

"Is it Grimm?" She asked.

"Grimm don't typically care about the cameras. But Peter had told me that every time he went to investigate them, he always found this." Ozpin said while reaching in his drawer and pulling out a stone shard. Glynda went up to the desk and picked up the sharp shard, observing it with great interest.

"Who do you think made this?" She asked.

"I hope to find the answer to that-" He stopped when the elevator suddenly dinged. They stared at the elevator as it opened and revealed a large figure with a Beowolf's pelt acting as a hoodie, silently stare at them before another large figure came up from behind with a Ursa pelt and stared silently at them. Ozpin's eyes narrowed as he stared at the two figures while Glynda did the same, their expressions softened when four little figures peeked out and stared at them with curiosity but their faces were concealed by stone masks.

"Can I help you?" Ozpin asked cautiously.

"Yeah, you can." The larger figure with a small tail said, walking up to the desk and taking off his hood.

"Do I know you?" Ozpin said.

"No, but you know him." The figure gestured toward the other in the back who walked up and slowly took off his hood.

"Mr. Ares?" Glynda gasped. He looked at her with a neutral expression before turning back to Ozpin and throwing him an envelope made out of animal skin and fur.

"What's this?" Ozpin asked.

"A note from my dad." Brock said and lowered himself down to let Lilith and Kyla down to explore the room while Ares did the same, except Rei latched onto Ares' leg and stared at Glynda. Glynda lowered herself down to stare into Rei's eyes.

"P-please stop staring at me like that." Rei pleaded nervously.

"Rei?" Glynda asked, not believing it was the same little girl that disappeared months ago.

"Hi..." Rei replied sheepishly while lifting up her mask.

"Where's Ken?" Glynda asked.

"He's at-" Rei stopped when she looked at Ares to see him have a warning face. "Sorry, I'm not allowed to tell." She said before she was pulled by Frost and towards the window where the rest of the girls stared at the rain hitting the window with curious expressions. Kyla rubbed her finger across a raindrop but looked at her finger and saw that it was still dry, Frost did the same and scratched her head. Ozpin looked at the children and laughed before turning back to the letter and frowning a bit when he read the rest.

"I didn't realize I was invading your home." He said.

"Yeah, so this is a message saying stop." Brock said crossing his arms. Ares just snorted in amusement making Ozpin turn in his direction.

"Is there something funny?" Ozpin asked.

 **"No, just that it's a bold face lie."** Ares snorted and walked towards the girls and knelt down, talking to them.

"What'd he say?" Glynda asked.

"He said it's a bold face lie that you told, you all knew you were invading our home. I know this because you send a team of hunters after us every year during the winter." Brock said.

"That's just routine mission for all students." Ozpin said.

"Bullshit. Every year or two you send a team of hunters to try and get us to 'join' you." Brock huffed. Ozpin didn't say anything and just stared at Brock, who stared right back with a neutral expression; the silence grew too silent and Frost blew a stream of fire which made Glynda jump back in surprise. Frost looked around to see everyone look at her before sheepishly laugh and blush in embarrassment before placing her mask over her face, Ares just sighed and knelt down in front of her.

 **"Do you know how you did that?"** He asked.

 **"No, I've been trying to do it more often but I always mess up."** She said.

 **"It's easy."** He said while opening his mouth and let out a gentle stream of fire. Her eyes widened and she clapped quickly before opening her mouth and trying to repeat the same process but ended up letting out a breath of nothing, she pouted before Ares lightly flicked her forehead.

 **"Just suck in some air and hold it for a second before blowing out from your lungs."** He instructed. She did what was instructed and let out a gentle stream of fire before stopping when she got dizzy from doing it too long.

 **"Thanks Ares!"** She thanked.

 **"Remember though, don't do it too long or you'll get dizzy from not getting enough oxygen."** He said making her nod then turn back to the window. Brock just snorted in amusement but then winced when thunder and lightning could be seen in the sky and the rain started to come down even more forcefully. Ares saw this too and scowled at the though of being here even longer than needed; he didn't want to leave now since there could be the possibility of one of the little ones being injured on the way back home.

"Damn, so much for leaving right away." Brock muttered.

"You were planning on leaving in the rain?" Glynda asked.

"Oh yeah, dad didn't want us to stay very long but it seems we have no choice." Brock sighed.

 **"Why can't you just go in your original form and take us back?"** Ares asked.

 **"Are you kidding? They'll know we're monsters then and hunt us down even further."** Brock said.

 **"Dammit... I didn't want to do this. Ask him if they have any rooms available."** Ares said.

 **"Why?"** Brock asked.

 **"Do you really want to take the children out in the storm where they could possibly be injured or worse, killed?"** Ares asked, gesturing towards the girls who were playing with their hunting knives. Brock sighed and turned towards Ozpin and Glynda who were staring at them with curious expressions.

"I hate to say this but... do you have any rooms available until tomorrow?" Brock asked.

"Not at the moment-" Ozpin said before he was interrupted when the elevator door opened to reveal RWBY standing there.

"Professor Ozpin! Blake thinks she found Are-" Ruby stopped when she saw Ares standing near the window with Rei and three other girls who had stone masks on their hips. His expression darkened the longer he stared at her and her team before Weiss stomped up to him and stared at him.

"Do you have any idea how long we've been looking for you and your siblings?" She poked his chest.

"Uh, ma'am?" Brock asked when he saw Ares' eyes turn to slits.

"Stuff it!" Weiss snapped.

"Got it." Brock gulped. Jesus Christ this woman is scary, almost as scary as Michelle. Weiss turned back to Ares and glared at him while he did the same but at a greater extent; the two were locked in a deadlock before Yang stepped up and pulled Weiss away from him while staring at him with slightly red eyes. A loud growl interrupted the tension and Ares' eyes reverted back to normal as he turned around to see the girls sheepishly. He looked back at the team before walking over and kneeling down in front of them, he reached inside a bag on his hip and pulled out pieces of meat that had blue leaves wrapped around it and gave it to the girls. They accepted the pieces of meat and began to chew on it slowly; they sat down on the floor and huddled in a group while talking as Ares just stood up and walked next to Brock. Brock reached inside his bag and pulled out a jug of liquid while getting out a piece of meat and handing it to Ares, who nodded and stuffed it in his mouth before taking the jug that Brock had drank from.

"Was that raw?" Yang asked.

"Oh yeah... well not entirely. More like medium rare." Brock shrugged and placed the jug of liquid back on his belt. Blake looked to see Rei look at her from the corner of her eye before turning back to the group and finishing the meat.

"So about that room." Brock said.

"Ah, yes. Well we don't have any rooms available so-" Ozpin was cut off when Yang answered.

"They can stay in our room. We have a lot of 'catching up' to do with Ares." Yang cracked her knuckles making Ares crack his neck. Ozpin was about to deny that request but went wide eyed when Lilith took his mug and drank his coffee before passing it to Kyla, then to Frost, and finally Rei who drank the rest of the liquid.

"Is that uh... coffee?" Brock asked.

"Yeah, why?" Ozpin asked.

"Oh this isn't good." Brock mumbled as he stared at the girls who made disgusted faces at the taste of the coffee before their bodies started vibrating and they bolted towards the elevator.

 **"Dammit!"** Ares shouted, chasing after the children before slamming into the elevator door when it closed on him. Everyone could hear hyper giggles resonate from inside before a loud crash which made the room silent.

"Uh... what was that?" Ruby asked.

"That... is a prime example of what happens when you expose those four to something with lots of caffeine for the first time." Brock sighed and pushed the elevator button. Ares stood next to Brock while stretching his arms and legs for the chase that would probably last for hours; RWBY stood to the side shuffling uncomfortably.

"Is there anything we can do?" Blake asked.

"Oh yeah, you can go with Ares to help find them while I get a room booked." Brock smiled but then flew into a wall when Ares punched him in the face. "Ow! What the fuck Ares, I was kidding!" He cried.

 **"No you weren't you fat bastard."** Ares growled and walked into the elevator with the team close behind. Glynda gaped at Ares then at Brock who twisted his neck and cracked it in a painful manner before standing up and dusting himself off.

"So about that room." He said.

"You're not even going to get mad that he attacked you?" Glynda asked.

"What? No, he does that all the time. Him and I beat each other up pretty much everyday; whether it be from him throwing me off the side of the cliff or me throwing him into a Nevermore's nest, oh and there was one time where he tied me down to a rock and threw me in the lake because I accidentally ate his share of venison. Man, good times... even though most of that happened this week." Brock reminisced. Ozpin and Glynda sweat dropped at their abusive relationship towards one another, they weren't sure to call it roughhousing or attempted murder.

"I'll uh... see about that room." Ozpin muttered.

* * *

The elevator ride down was quiet to the point where even a pin drop could be heard. Ares stood close to the door while the girls were behind him with different expressions. Ruby had an uncomfortable expression, Weiss had a distrustful one, Yang had an agitated one, and Blake had a curious one. The elevator door opened and Ares threw on his hood, marching out while looking around to see if he could find any sign of the girls; he immediately found Frost face first down on the ground snoring and moving her tail every so often. He carefully picked her up and handed her to Yang, she buckled a bit at the sudden weight and glared at Ares.

"What the heck big man?" She whispered. She received no answer and sighed in annoyance before shuffling a bit and getting Frost in a more comfortable position, following Ares through out the school grounds.

"Hey Ares?" Ruby asked then shrank when he glared at her from the corner of his eye.

"Is she your daughter?" She asked curiously; he stopped in his tracks and snorted in amusement and shook his head. "Oh, she just looks like you with the spikes... and everything." She said quietly. They made their way to the cafeteria to to see Kyla and Lilith on a table with loads of meat on a plate, eating it quickly and throwing the bone over their shoulders or stabbing it into the table before picking up another piece and scarfing it down. Ruby tried to slowly approach them but stopped when they noticed her and stared with an unblinking gaze.

"Hi there..." She said nervously.

 **"..."** They both stayed silent and just stared while chewing a piece of meat, they suddenly shot up and warped up to Ruby with neutral but curious expressions. Ruby jumped when they warped and barely had time to comprehend what they did next when they began to float around her and warp right up to her face, just staring into her eyes before laughing and warping back to the table.

 **"Nap time."** Ares said, stepping closer to them.

 **"No we're-"** They barely finished their sentence before smacking their heads on the table and falling asleep. Ares just sighed and gently picked them up, handing Lilith to Ruby and Kyla to Weiss, both looked at him with confusion then sighed when he was already out the door and into the pouring rain again.

"Big man, we're going back to our dorm. You can look for Rei by yourself." Yang said, walking off but stopped when she felt Weiss' scroll hit the back of her head and a message typed.

 _"You keep them safe."_ The scroll read. Yang looked at Ares only to see his figure already a couple feet away, she huffed in annoyance and made her way back to the dorm with Ruby and Weiss in tow. Blake looked to see Ares still search around and decided to follow him; she quickly caught up to him and walked silently alongside while staring ahead blankly. She saw him glance at her but otherwise ignore her presence and continue to walk forward in search for his younger sister, who could be anywhere by now.

"Hey Ares?" She asked, tilting the umbrella up a bit to get a good look at him.

 **"Hmm?"** He hummed, to which is all she understood.

"Why did you leave?" She asked. He gestured to her scroll in her hand and grabbed it when she offered it before typing something in and handing back, she had to wipe the excess water that had accumulated on the screen.

 _"I found people like me, and have accepted me. The only reason I left was because you four and those two ass wipes attacked me and tried to take my siblings away."_ She read with wide eyes.

"So you're the one who ripped Neptune's arm off?!" She asked.

 _"Yeah, it was so refreshing to hear the scream of a human."_ He typed, which made her scowl.

"Just like the White Fang now." She mumbled then yelped when she found herself pinned against a wall and drenched by the rain. She struggled for a minute but gagged when his hand tightened on her throat and made her look up to see his orange eyes peek out from beneath the hood, they were full of a mild rage you would only see on a pissed off animal. He snatched her scroll from her hand and a loud tapping sound could be heard.

 _"Don't you dare compare me to those degenerates! All they are is a bunch of dumbass terrorists that want to kill because of personal problems. I only kill to protect my family."_ The message read. His grip tightened immensely which made her claw at his arms before he let her go and leave her as a heap on the wet ground; she saw him kneel down in front of her and glare at her before snorting at her surprised face.

 **"Just another nosy hunter."** He said and walked away, leaving Blake a wet soggy mess on the ground.

"Note to self... don't compare him to the White Fang." She breathed and picked up her umbrella, walking back towards the dorm.

* * *

Hours had passed and he still hadn't found Rei; he searched in the gym, in the combat room, Ozpin's office again, the armory, the cafeteria, and even the bathrooms but still no sign of Rei. He just huffed and made his way back to the dorm rooms to see Brock standing outside pacing before he caught sight of him.

 **"Why're you outside?"** Ares asked.

 **"Well, the girls are changing and told me to get out."** Brock said.

 **"What about the room?"** Ares asked.

 **"The headmaster said he doesn't have any available and get this. He tried to get me to join the school along with Michelle and Arachne."** Brock laughed.

 **"You said no right?"** Ares asked, making Brock stop.

 **"Was I supposed to?"** He asked.

 **"Brock... please tell me you're joking."** Ares pinched the bridge of his nose. It was silent for a minute before Brock's face turned red from holding his breath to long and burst out laughing.

 **"Yeah I'm joking! Oh my god. You should have seen the look on your face. You were all like 'Please tell me you're joking'. Ahahahahaha."** Brock laughed while doing a mock impression of Ares, who just scowled and knocked on the door. The door was suddenly opened to reveal a damp Blake who's hair was disheveled and had a tired look on her face; he heard familiar giggling and brushed past her to see Rei roll around in the blankets, giggling loudly.

"She's been like this the whole time, and it doesn't look like she's stopping." Blake sighed. Ares snorted and sat on the bed next to Rei until she noticed him and tried to tackle him while laughing loudly, he laughed too before engulfing her in a hug and stayed like that until she eventually calmed down.

"H-how?!" Ruby shouted. Ares didn't say anything while Brock just laughed and pulled out a sleeping roll, lying it on the ground before pulling out another one and repeating the process. All was silent before Weiss stood up and marched over to Ares, who was busy rocking Rei to sleep, and stood over him.

"Okay, before you start tearing into him... at least let him get his sister to sleep." Brock advised.

"And who are you?" Weiss asked.

"Someone who knows Ares more than you do." Brock said. Weiss' face grew red with anger as she glared at him.

"Why you-" She started.

"Hey Ares?" Rei asked.

 **"Hmm?"** He hummed while rocking.

"Where did mom and dad go?" She asked tiredly, making him stop rocking. The girls all looked at his expression and slightly softened their look when they saw it; it held pain that said he didn't want to remember it.

 **"I... don't know."** He sighed and started rocking again. Rei nodded and closed her eyes before falling asleep shortly after. When all the girls were asleep he gently placed them on one of the fur rolls before taking a blanket off of Ruby's bed, much to her dismay, and covered them. RWBY didn't know whether to gush at the sight of the sleeping children or be irritated at the sight of Ares. Yang shook her head and walked next to Ares, glaring at him with red eyes while he just gave an impassive look.

"You've got a lot of explaining to do." She said while crossing her arms. Brock on his stomach while laughing at the scene in front of him, wagging his tail side to side; he heard a high pitched muffled squeal before yelping when somebody squeezed his tail.

"This is so cute! Just look at this little tail, it's like a little worm!" Ruby gushed and pulled at his tail some more.

"Please don't pull my tail." Brock pleaded. It fell on deaf ears though and he started to grow more uncomfortable as she squeezed, pulled, and even stroked his tail while gushing. Blake's ears flattened as she looked at the man in front of her in pity, she had been victim to one of Ruby's random spurts of affection once and her ears still hurt from the petting.

"Sis, I'm pretty sure he doesn't want his tail pulled like that." Yang said, making Ruby stop and look at Brock who sighed in relief.

"Sorry." Ruby laughed nervously.

"It's alright, the little ones usually do that... except they pull... and bite... and sometimes stab..." Brock mumbled rubbing his shoulder making the girls reel back and look at the sleeping children.

"They do that to you?" Weiss asked looking at the sleeping four.

"It's mostly the boys, we take roughhousing a little too far." Brock laughed.

"I'm not sure whether to be happy that you boys do that or concerned that they try to kill you." Yang said.

"Eh, it's both really. Ares joins in too." Brock said, making the Goliath scowl at him.

"What does he do?" Ruby asked.

"There was this one time where I accidentally took his piece of deer meat and he tied me down to a boulder and threw me at the bottom of the lake." He laughed.

"That's horrible!" Ruby gasped.

"Bah, it's alright. I got him back by throwing him into a Nevermore's nest... didn't hear back from him for two hours." Brock chuckled making Ares emit a growl.

 **"Brock... shut the hell up."** Ares said.

"Oh come on man, where's your happy expression I saw this morning?" Brock asked.

 **"In the deepest parts of hell. Where you're going to end up if you don't shut up."** Ares threatened.

"Alright alright, I'll stop telling the embarrassing stories... except that time when Michelle beat you up." Brock said the last part to the side. Yang completely ignored Ares' presence and sat in front of Brock, as did the rest of the team, and listened closely to hear the tale of how Ares lost to Michelle. Over the course of the story they laughed numerous times and gasped before laughing again when he told them how Michelle threatened to castrate Ares and him bowing underneath her to save his family jewels.

"I want to meet this Michelle." Yang said.

"Well maybe one day you will, but now I do believe it's... what time is it?" Brock asked.

"1:30." Weiss informed.

"Well goddamn, it's not even dinner yet. Hey Ares-" Brock stopped when he saw Ares curled around the girls and fast asleep with them huddled against him. Ruby pulled up her scroll and took a picture but frowned when she noticed something missing.

"Where's Ken?" She asked.

"He's uh... at home." Brock rubbed the back of his head.

"Are you hiding something?" Yang asked.

"No... okay, look. Ares doesn't like me telling personal stuff so just leave it at that." Brock pleaded. Weiss was about to push further but when she looked in his eyes she could see that he really didn't want to tell them. They nodded and looked back at Ares before looking back at Brock.

"By the way, what's your name hotstuff?" Yang winked, making Brock's face grow bit red but not as red as when Arachne flirts with him.

"Brock. What's yours bombshell?" He winked back making Yang's face go from cheeky to embarrassed in a second. She's always been the one to flirt and make people stutter, she's never been in this position before!

"Y-yang." She stuttered. Everyone recoiled at the sight of the most confident member of the group reduced to a stuttering mess.

"Wow. That's the first time I've seen Yang embarrassed." Ruby commented.

"Well hot damn, I knew these good looks would pay off one day." He laughed. Yang laughed along while RWB just rolled their eyes but with smiles on their faces; lightning cracked from the sky making the children whimper but then fall back asleep when Ares curled tighter around them and glowed a bit.

"That's really adorable... I can't even be mad about him disappearing months ago." Yang said.

"Actually he's with us." Brock said.

"Where?" Blake asked.

"Somewhere in Emerald forest, that's all I'm going to say." He said, shocking the four.

"You all live out there?! Why don't you move to the city o-or a nearby settlement?!" Ruby asked frantically.

"Eh, don't feel like it. We used to be nomadic but we finally settled down somewhere comfortable to raise the eight children." He shrugged.

"So that means you and Ares are..." Yang trailed off. It took Brock a second to realize what she was implying.

"Oh no! No no no no no no no. We aren't like that! We're closer to brothers more than anything. No; him, Michelle, Arachne, my dad, and I raise the eight little rascals that live with us." He explained.

"Hehehe, sorry about the whole... you know." Yang said rubbing the back of her neck.

"It's alright. A little misconception." Brock reassured. They sat in silence before Blake asked a question.

"Hey Brock, how come you can understand Ares but we can't?" She asked. He thought about it for a second.

"Well it has something to do with our kind." He said.

"So a faunus?" She asked.

"Eh, something along those lines. But we're a certain species that has our own language as well as yours that we're speaking right now." He said.

"Do explain." Weiss said.

"I don't really know how to explain it... it's more of a natural feeling more than anything." He surmised.

"That's cool... what's that?" Ruby asked pointing towards his hunter's knife on his leg.

"This is the knife Ken made us" He said. It had a planet in space with a giant hand gripping it from the bottom. The blade itself was jagged with tips of bone acting as a serrated addition, making the knife even more deadly than what it already was.

"That's quite the interesting design." Blake observed. Everybody else silently agreed to her and took turns observing it before handing it back to Brock.

"Hey, Brock. What's Ares like when he's with you all?" Ruby asked, making him laugh.

"When he's not being a scowling sarcastic asshole he's actually a calm collected caring individual." He described.

"Really? He's always scowling at us when he resided here." Weiss said.

"He's not very fond of huntsman and huntresses. But other than that he cares about the kids' well being more than all the adults combined; he even saved Michelle's little sister from getting eaten by an Alpha." He said.

"What's wrong with us huntsman and huntresses?" Weiss asked.

"I don't think it's necessarily you four, it's just in general. He's never really told anybody but apparently he's had bad experiences with them in the past." Brock guessed. It was true, aside from telling them all how they ended up on Remnant nobody knows Ares and his sibling's past.

"I wonder what it is." Blake wondered.

"I don't know, but I do know he gets angry when someone asks about his parents." Brock said.

"What happened to them?" Yang asked.

"I think they're-" Brock stopped when a knife flew past him and embedded itself into the wall, startling Ruby. All five of them turned to see Ares have his hood up but could see a single eye that held controlled but unhinged unadulterated rage. Yang's semblance would look like a temper tantrum compared to the look Ares was giving Brock, who remained unfazed about it but held a bit of guilt.

 **"Brock... you know that's a touchy subject."** Ares warned.

"Sorry man. Didn't mean to bring them up." Brock apologized. Ares looked at him before slowly getting up and walking out the door, making Brock lower his head down.

"He's uh... really touchy about that isn't he?" Yang asked carefully.

"Yeah he is... I'll be right back." He said before grabbing Ares' knife and walking out the door. Yang followed up and peeked out to see his muscled figure walk down the hall before a seductive look appeared on her face and she closed the door.

"That right there is what I call a man." She said, making Ruby groan.

"Yaaaaaaang stop." She groaned while covering her face with her hood.

"Come on Rubes. Admit it, he is like the perfect guy in one bundle. Muscular, hot, funny, and most likely smart. I would love to get a piece of him." Yang said.

"Okay, I'm with Ruby on this one Yang. Stop." Weiss said.

"Come on Weiss, he's as muscular as Ares. It's no wonder they're brothers." Yang said.

"He said that Ares is more of a brother to him not his actual brother." Blake said.

"Come on Blake, who would you rather have Brock or Ares." Yang asked.

"I'd rather not discuss it." Blake said. A smug smile appeared on Yang's face when she knew what incident she was thinking of.

"Is it about that time-" She stopped when Blake slammed her book shut.

"Fine Ares, you happy?" She hissed.

"Yes." Yang smiled cheekily. The door opened to reveal Brock with a slight limp before lying down on the roll next to the sleeping children.

"What happened to you?" Ruby asked.

"Uhhhhhh... Ares happened. Shit this hurts." Brock winced.

"What'd he do?" Yang asked.

"Hurt me as always. But at least he's calmed down now." He said closing his eyes.

"So where is he?" Blake asked.

"On the roof, it'd be best not to disturb him though. He looks ready to level this place." He said tiredly. The team gulped at what he said and waited patiently for Ares to return while Brock was asleep. After a few hours of doing nothing they heard the door open to see Ares come in soaked in water, he got on all fours and began to shake his body and spray water all over the place.

"You big brute!" Weiss exclaimed.

 **"You icy bitch."** Ares growled at her and sat near Blake's bunk. He really wished this storm would be over soon, he didn't want to be here anymore and the mere presence of the four hunters in front of him made him want to kill something. His eyes turned to slits when he caught sight of all of them looking at him with suspicion.

 **"The hell are you all looking at? Fucking bitches..."** He snarled at them. They all recoiled a bit at his sudden outburst before Yang stepped up to him.

"You want to start something?" She growled.

 **"Maybe I do, you blonde cunt."** He snarled. Yang was about to do something but Rei groggily woke up and tiredly walked up to him before sitting in front and leaning back, gazing at Yang tiredly. His gaze softened as he stared at Rei's tired form before hardening again when he saw Yang still in front of him.

"Hey Ares? When are we going home?" Rei asked tiredly.

 **"Tomorrow. After that we won't have to come back here again."** He reassured, patting her head.

"Good... I'm sorry." She apologized.

 **"For what?"** He asked.

"For following you and Brock... it's just that... I just wanted it to be you, me and Ken like it used to. But Ken was asleep." She said.

 **"Rei... no matter how much our family grows in members, you two will always be my one true family."** He smiled at her.

"Thanks Ares. Can we get something to eat?" She asked.

 **"Yeah, come on."** He stood up and offered her a hand. She took it and climbed up on his back with a small smile on her face; RWBY just stood there in silence and Weiss was about to say something but was stopped when Blake walked past them and shut the door behind her.

"Girls..." Brock asked tiredly.

"Yeah?" Yang asked.

"Leave em." He said.

"Why would we do that?" Weiss huffed.

"It's been a while since Ares spent any time with his actual family... I may be like a brother to him but Ken and Rei are his one true family and it's been a while since it was just them. So let him have this moment with just Rei." He explained.

"What if he tries something?" Ruby asked.

"Then there's a reason. Ares only attacks if he's provoked by a threat either to himself or his family and half the time he doesn't care about himself, other than that he'll keep his head." He answered and turned to see the children still asleep.

"Wow, you really know a lot about Ares." Ruby said.

"Heh, not in the slightest. Like I said before nobody in the group knows about his past." He said.

"He's not here so might as well tell us." Weiss said.

"I never said I actually knew because I don't. If he's not going to tell then I'll respect that." He said.

"But-" Yang started.

"Look if you want to know so much about Ares then just ask him. I'm not saying anymore because it's not my place to tell but if he doesn't want to tell then just leave him alone." Brock instructed.

"He's not going to." Weiss huffed.

"Then leave it at that." He said and looked up at the ceiling in silence for a minute before scrunching up his nose. "You all have a bath?" He asked.

"It's a shower and a bath but yes. Why?" Ruby asked.

"I need to give these three a bath and-" He stopped when the sleeping girls were gone from their spots and in front of him with eager faces. The team looked at him with a confused expression before laughing when he patted each of the little ones' heads and lead them to the bathroom.

"Care to explain?" Yang asked.

"These three love baths. Each of the little ones have their own little quirks." Brock chuckled.

"I wonder how Blake's doing." Ruby wondered silently.

"Eh, who cares." Yang shrugged.

* * *

Both the siblings sat at a table in the cafeteria by themselves and had a plate of food each. Rei wanted to see if she could try anything else other than meat but ended up failing when she vomited the mashed potatoes up on the floor, they moved to another spot to make it look like someone else did it. The whole cafeteria seemed to evacuate the moment Ares walked in and sat down at a nearby table, it seems everyone remembers who he was since he's pretty much the only one to defeat the blond brawler of RWBY.

 **"You like chicken yes you do, nobody loves chicken quite like you."** Rei sang while eating a chicken strip.

 **"Where'd you learn that song?"** Ares asked.

 **"I don't know. I just started singing it when I ate this."** Rei said holding up a chicken strip. Ares took a bite out of it and smiled when Rei's face contorted to absolute betrayal as she stared at the stump of the chicken for a minute before throwing it at Ares' face and turning away with a huff.

 **"Come on Rei. It's a piece of food."** He smiled.

 **"Yeah, my piece."** She huffed and picked at some steak. Ares rolled his eyes and placed his head in his arms and basked in the silence while swaying his tail in a slow manner, his plate slowly slid from out in front of him before being put back. When he looked up at it he saw that it was clear of its contents before turning to Rei who had an innocent smile on her face, along with a little bit of meat hanging form her mouth. She slurped up the meat and burped before humming a tune while kicking off the seat, her legs dangled and she leaned back and forth while still listening to the storm outside.

 **"Why's this storm taking so long?"** She asked, looking outside to see the rain hit the windows.

 **"I dunno, it should have stopped by now."** He said.

 **"Maybe it's Mathias controlling the weather."** She gasped. He couldn't help but laugh at her childish accusation and just ruffled her hair.

 **"I don't think that's it Rei but it would be cool if Mathias could do that."** He agreed. They sat in the quiet room before Rei smacked her lips and looked at Ares who was tapping the table in a rhythmic manner.

 **"I'm thirsty."** She said. He reached behind him and grabbed a jug of liquid before giving it to her; she grabbed the jug and started to drink the liquid slowly before handing it back to him.

 **"Thank you. What is that though?"** She asked.

 **"Bitter drink."** He answered.

 **"It taste sweet though."** She said.

 **"Really? It taste like bitter water to me."** He said.

 **"Nope, it taste like really sweet water. I like it."** She smiled.

 **"Then I'll get Mathias to teach me how to make it so I can give it to you."** He replied. The two sat in silence until they heard the doors open and then later saw Blake sit near them with a curious expression on her face. Rei scooted closer to Ares while he just held her protectively and kept a close eye on Blake, who sighed before addressing them.

"I wanted to say I'm sorry." She said. Ares didn't say anything and neither did Rei as they just stared at her, after a while Rei finally spoke up.

"Why did you follow us that night?" She asked.

"I didn't want to since I saw how much stress we were putting on Ares but since everyone else was going I decided too." Blake answered.

"So you mean to tell me that you only followed us because of everyone else?" Rei asked.

"Yeah, they thought he was killing people." Blake said.

"...I mean he has though." Rei said after a moment's silence making Blake look at him with wide eyes.

"You have?!" She asked. He looked at her with a neutral expression before nodding and looking out the window again but still looked at her from the corner of his eye.

"He doesn't do it for fun though, it's mostly to keep us safe." Rei said, tapping her talons on the table.

"Still... what was he doing then?" Blake asked.

"Killing those black wildlife creatures. That grey-haired man said as long as he makes it to those classes then he can hunt the wildlife every few nights." Rei explained. After that sentence Blake came to a realization, he wasn't covered in human or faunus blood, he was covered in Grimm blood. She remembered one night when he came back his mouth was covered in blood and there was a few clumps of flesh on his spikes, not to mention she swore she saw a heart in his hand before he scarfed it down; she ended up gagging when he ate it.

"Does he eat the Grimm?" She asked.

"Yeah, he won't let us eat it though. It's not fair." Rei pouted.

"You're not supposed to eat those though!" Blake exclaimed.

"Why?" Rei asked.

"Because it's... it's just not right!" She said.

"He's had no side effects from it. Aside from the black goo he throws up." Rei said, not realizing she just gave some information away.

"Wait. Black goo?" Blake asked. She thought about how Weiss said that he was vomiting black goo into the toilet and acted strange sometimes, he acted more like a wild animal than a faunus. She was interrupted from her thoughts when Rei went up to her and pulled her ribbon off, observing it for a second. She flattened her ears and covered them while looking around to see if anybody was looking but relaxed a bit when nobody was in here.

"Rei... can I have my ribbon back?" She asked.

"Why? You don't wear it in the room." Rei stated.

"I'm not comfortable with people seeing me like this, now can I have it back?" Blake asked.

"Okay..." Rei said handing the ribbon back before kicking her feet and rocking side to side while humming a tune that Ares enjoyed. It was one of the tunes _she_ had hummed when she was still around, it was a soothing tune that always made him calm down and it was the same tune he used to lull Rei and Ken to sleep. His thoughts drifted back to _her_ and her gentle embrace when he hatched, she didn't care that he wasn't hers nor did he care she was his. Size didn't make a difference nor did species, all that mattered was that she loved him either way; as did she Ken and Rei when they were born. She loved them as much as she loved him and that's what made her special even if she knew they weren't hers either, and although his father didn't show it very often he loved her to an extent. His father's focus was only to teach the three of them to survive but her focus was to teach them to understand and look out for each other, she said that family was put above all else... that's why he's so protective of Rei and Ken.

 **"Thinking about mom?"** Rei asked suddenly, looking up at him.

 **"...Yeah."** He sighed.

 **"...I still have dreams about her sometimes."** Rei mumbled.

 **"I do too... what do you remember most about her?"** Ares asked.

 **"I remember that she wouldn't eat the stuff dad got her."** Rei laughed making him laugh also. Blake looked at the two curiously and was about to ask but decided against it.

 **"Pretty much all the stuff. Though she did come around to it eventually."** He said making Rei nod before sighing and answering.

 **"I remember that she would sometimes sing to us when we were upset or wouldn't go to sleep while you and dad were out hunting."** She said.

 **"I remember when she first saw all three of us together. She looked so happy and dad did too."** He said. **"Then she went missing for a minute... Never in my life had I seen dad so miserable."** He added. Rei flattened her talons and leaned on him while sniffling.

 **"She came back though."** She said.

 **"That she did, but she was different in a sense. Both physically and emotionally."** He said.

 **"Please don't bring that up."** She cried lightly.

 **"Sorry."** He apologized.

 **"It's okay."** She sniffled.

 **"She told me once that even if we weren't hers that she would love us the same."** Ares said after a moments silence.

 **"She told me that too. She said that to dad too but he just brushed it off, I don't think he felt the same."** She said.

 **"Believe me he did. While she was sleeping he would say it and he would say it before he left to go hunting."** He reassured.

 **"Really? So all those hard moments where he didn't say anything were false?"** She asked.

 **"Yep, he tried to be one of those 'I'm too cool to say I love you to my mate' type of dads."** Ares smiled making Rei give a short laugh before she sighed and looked forward blankly.

"I miss them." She said tiredly.

 **"I do too."** He sighed and picked her up. Blake was about to ask who they are but then remembered what Brock was talking about in the room, he was referring to their parents. She also remembered the look of rage that was on his face when Brock was about to finish his sentence; a knife to the wall that would have been lethal if it connected. If he likes Brock and was willing to do that then what would he do to her if she brought the subject up? Last time she checked, they weren't on the best of terms and judging by the looks he shot all four of them he was one that held a grudge, a massive one at that.

"I'm uh... just going to head back to the room." She said. He didn't say anything and shot her a sideways glance before walking out of the cafeteria and into the rain once again.

"So much for trying to make amends with them." Blake mumbled and picked up her umbrella, walking out into the storm.

* * *

"So Brock, how often does Ares go hunting?" Ruby asked.

"When we need it, so every couple of days." He shrugged.

"So you all go through that much food in the span of a couple days?" Weiss asked.

"Yep, the little ones eat a lot." He said. Frost was on his shoulders playing with his hood while Lilith and Kyla sat in his lap taking a nap.

"So what are their names?" Yang gestured towards the three.

"This little scamp is Frost." He gestured towards the small Goliath on his shoulders who turned towards them and glanced before going back to playing with his hood.

"Hi there." Ruby greeted.

 **"..."** Frost didn't give a reply and just glanced at Ruby before growling when Brock reached up and flicked her forehead.

 **"Don't be rude. Say hi."** He said towards her.

 **"Fine. Hi."** She huffed then went back to playing with his hood.

"It's a start I guess. She said hi." He sighed. Ruby gave a slight hesitant nod and turned away from Frost who glanced at her from the corner of her eye.

"And these two are Lilith and Kyla." He gestured towards the sleeping two in his lap.

"They're cute." Yang complemented.

"Yeah, but they're little shits too." He chuckled.

"Why?" Weiss asked.

"Whenever Rei does something, these two follow shortly after. There was one time when they put everyone asleep to see if their sleeping mixture would work." He remembered.

"I don't know whether to be amazed or concerned." She wondered.

"I'm both. I seriously don't know how they make some of this shit, and to make matters worse I'm their lab rat." He shuddered making the girls laugh. He started to laugh too but stopped when the door was heard opening to reveal Blake with a wet umbrella, she shook it a few times before sitting on her bed and picking up a book.

"So Blakey, how'd it go with Ares?" Yang asked.

"As good as your chances as getting with Brock." Blake said making Yang stop in her tracks.

"Wha-" She sputtered.

"Damn." Brock said under his breath. Frost snickered at the annoying blonde's incoherent sentence and stood on Brock's shoulders before leaping onto Ruby's bed and going in circles like a dog before lying down on the mattress.

"Uh, that's my bed." Ruby said.

"Forget it little rose, whenever Frost lies down like that it's pretty much hers until either she gets bored with it or someone forces her off. I wouldn't try option B since she's extremely territorial." Brock warned.

"Ruby, we'll just did what we did when Rei and Ken took your bed all those months ago." Weiss explained.

"Thanks partner!" Ruby shouted cheerfully and hugged Weiss.

"Yeah yeah yeah. Just try not to hog all the blankets this time." Weiss huffed. Brock raised an eyebrow and chuckled then looked to see Frost throw a pillow at his face and give a cry of triumph before laughing maniacally as she threw another one.

"Frost, stop." He warned.

 **"No, fuck you."** She growled at him. He stopped suddenly and stared at her with a slightly angered and disappointed look.

"What did you say?" He asked quietly. RWBY saw his expression darken and backed away as he slowly put down Lilith and Kyla before marching up to the top bunk and staring into Frost's eyes. She looked at him with an angered look but showed signs of fear but quickly pushed them down and continued to stare at him.

"Run that by me one more time." He seethed.

 **"Fuck... you. And fuck this whole place."** She growled at him. He didn't say anything and just ripped her off the top bunk before engulfing her in a bear hug and held her there, ignoring the damage that her spikes were doing when they punctured his skin.

"Where did you learn that word?!" He questioned.

 **"From Ares, now let me go!"** She struggled.

"You know that you shouldn't say anything you learned from him!" He shouted. Frost grabbed his cheeks then reared her head back and thrust it forward, hitting him right in the nose. He stumbled back and dropped Frost before clutching his nose and kneeling down.

"Oh my Oum! Are you okay?!" Ruby shouted and knelt next to Brock, who just groaned in pain as blood dripped down. Frost turned and bolted towards the door but was stopped when Yang stood in front of it with a stern look on her face.

"Not going to swing kid." She said. Frost reared her head back and sucked in a bunch of air before blowing out a stream of fire at her; Yang dodged the flames then heard a loud crashing noise and saw a large hole in the door and saw that it was burning.

"Crap." She said before grabbing one of Weiss' ice crystals and throwing it at the door, putting the flames out before bolting out and following the small child down the hall.

* * *

Ares and Rei were walking through the empty halls at a comfortable pace, they decided to take the long way around ot enjoy each other's company before returning back to the room with Brock, the girls and those... hunters.

 **"Remember that time when dad fought that pack of trap jaws and gave us one to eat?"** Rei said.

 **"Yeah, mom was so pissed when she found out that was the pack she was following for the past few weeks."** Ares laughed.

 **"Oh yeah. Remember when dad found out she had taken us to the dam to look at the waterfall?"** He asked.

 **"Yeah, he wasn't to happy. He didn't even find out-"** Rei was cut off when she felt someone slam into her, she rolled a few times before stopping and looking up to see Frost sprawled out on her stomach.

 **"Frost? What're you doing out here? I thought you were with Brock?"** Ares asked.

 **"He's mad at me and that blonde girl is chasing after me."** She said.

 **"Why?"** He asked with a serious expression.

 **"I said fuck."** She said innocently making Ares give a deadpan expression.

 **"While I don't advise you saying that until you're older I don't get why he's upset about that."** He scoffed.

 **"I also headbutted him."** She added.

 **"Okay, now he's overreacting. God, I swear every time you all say or do something he doesn't like he throws a fucking hissy fit."** He huffed. He then saw Yang stop when she was in front of him and stare at him then at Frost then back at him; she tried to step past him to get to Frost but was stopped when he moved in front of her.

"Big man, I'm not in the mood. She headbutted Brock, blew fire at me, and burned down my door. Move now." Yang ordered.

 **"I have to deal with this shit everyday Blondie. Brock deals with it too and why do you care about him? You just met him today."** He snarled at her.

"You know I can't understand a word you're saying so try and speak like a normal person instead of a monster." She growled at him.

 **"Too bad bitch. I am a monster."** He snarled before hitting her in the face and sending her flying down the hallway, back towards the room. Frost and Rei covered their mouths while Ares just stared down the hall with a pissed off expression. Was Brock serious? He was getting mad over a little potty mouth word and some roughhousing? After this little brawl with the blonde cunt he was going to have a talk with him.

 **"You two stay here, I'm going to deal with the blonde bitch."** He said walking towards Yang's downed form. The dorm room suddenly opened to reveal Brock and the rest come out while Lilith and Kyla just peeked their heads out before yelping and ducking back inside when they saw Ares' pissed off face. Brock walked up to Ares and saw Frost down the hallway before trying to walk past Ares but was stopped when he walked in front of him.

 **"You're getting pissed off at her over a little cuss word? Are you fucking kidding me?"** Ares growled.

"She knows damn well she's not supposed to curse. And what did she do?" Brock asked quietly.

 **"She cursed and headbutted you. I got the details already. What I'm trying to figure out is why the hell you're getting mad at that? Their going to do it in a couple of years anyways."** Ares said.

"They're still children Ares, they're supposed to do what children do and one of those things is not cursing." Brock seethed.

 **"Oh spare me the what and what they're not supposed to do bullshit Brock. You think our little rules apply at home half the time?"** Ares asked.

"Yeah they do apply. That's why they follow them." Brock said.

 **"They only follow them because Mathias makes them follow them."** Ares said.

"Don't bring dad into this Ares." Brock growled.

 **"Why? You brought my parents up in that little conversation you had with the hunter sluts."** Ares snarled making Brock give a slight wince, something he noticed. While the two were having their little conversation, Yang was slowly standing up with red eyes while glaring at Ares with hate in her eyes. He comes back after months of vanishing without a trace, made Ruby cry, and defends that little brat that headbutted Brock? She was going to kill him. She charged at him with a great amount of speed and punched him in the face, sending him down the hall and crashing through a wall, into the rain. Everyone stopped and looked at her angered form and backed away slowly while Rei and Frost glared at her with massive amounts of hate. Brock just stared at the blonde with a worried expression then looked at the hole down the hallway to see a hand slam into the edge then another one slam into it before all of them saw Ares' head slowly creep up. The hood covered his head while shadows masked his face, leaving nothing but a black void and two burning hate filled orange eyes to be seen. Brock wasn't sure what was scarier, Yang's blood red eyes or Ares' murder filled orange eyes, either way he didn't want any of this to happen. The whole hallway was silent with the exception of the everlasting rain that never seemed to end.

 **"Rei..."** Ares' voice seemed to echo throughout the hallway, bouncing off every wall.

 **"Y-yes?"** She asked timidly.

 **"Take the other three to that doctor."** He said.

 **"G-got it."** She stuttered and gestured for the girls to follow her. Once the four were clear of the way, he stood up from the ledge and stared down the hall at the five remaining occupants, clenching his fist.

"Ares, calm down okay? I'll admit I was in the wrong but don't put these huntresses in harms way." Brock said slowly. He was met with silence as Ares walked forward slowly; his tattoos started glowing and Ruby noticed this before backing away slightly.

"Ares, calm down. We won't try anything-" Blake started.

 **"Can it you little slut!"** He barked, shutting her up. He turned to Brock who flexed his fist and hardened them while staring at him.

"Don't do this brother." Brock pleaded.

 **"You wanted to side with the hunters Brock."** Ares laughed sadistically that put Arachne's to shame and crouched on all fours. **"THEN YOU'LL DIE LIKE ONE!"** He roared at them before charging with a speed that rivaled Michelle, all while snarling like a rabid animal.

* * *

 **AN: Wow, didn't mean for this to take that long and for that I apologize. Anyways, thanks for reading this story and sticking with it if you're already a reader and welcome if it's your first time and you just skipped to the last chapter (We've all done that in a fanfiction). So I wrote this chapter to give a more in depth look at how Ares would react if he was forced to go back to the place he hates so much already. Also it gave a closer look at their parents, but that's for a future time. It's funny how in this fanfiction the main character (Ares) hates the people that reside at Beacon while in my other fanfiction the main character loves them and does anything he can to keep them safe. Don't have much to say other than you all know the golden rule of reviews. Anyways, Happy Halloween and have a good one everyone. Take it easy now.**


	11. Chapter 11: Family conflicts

**AN: Well howdy ho everyone! Hope you all had a good and eventful Halloween because I sure as hell didn't. I gave this little kid a jumbo size snicker's bar and the little bastard fucking stuck his tongue out at me and didn't even bother saying thank you, after that I decided to give the next kid more candy and kept the rest for myself. Anyways I didn't come to discuss a holiday that's what... a week or two ago? I came to discuss reviews with you all, so let's get into it.**

 **STRIKER ENERGY: Glad I could make her character awesome towards you and thanks for reviewing.**

 **GrimmKingOfAtlas: There'll be plenty more about their past and thanks for reviewing. On the plus note keep up the good work on your story, because that Omake made me spit my water out laughing.**

 **XCOMHEAVY12: When are you going to publish it, because that sounds like a story worth reading. Holy shit man, you never cease to amaze me with those long ass reviews; I actually check my reviews just to read those and thoroughly enjoy them while doing so, but anyways thanks for sticking with the story so far and keep up those badass reviews while I try to keep your attention.**

 **Q: Thanks man, I appreciate the feedback.**

 **StelarToe6133: I'll consider it if my mind is made up and I'll let you know through the story but I didn't even consider her as part of the story until you said something, so thanks for proposing an idea and reviewing.**

 **Now that those are out of the way, I do believe it's time. So without further adieu... Let's roll on with the fucking story!**

* * *

"Move!" Brock shouted as he pushed Yang out of the way and let Ares smash into him. She collided with the wall and slid down, later looking up to see Ares slam into Brock and tackle him to the ground. Her eyes flashed a brighter red and she leapt through the air, having a fist raised high and brought it down on the back of his head, dazing him long enough for Brock to plant his feet on his chest and push. He went soaring though the air and collided with the ground before rolling a few times and eventually skidding across, using his claws to slow himself down. Yang quickly went over to Brock and helped him up while keeping a close eye on Ares, who was crouched down and swaying his tail back and forth, and getting in a combat stance; she felt Brock slightly push her to the side.

"Ares. Calm down man, I'll admit I was in the wrong. Look the rain stopped so we can go home now." Brock said. Ares looked behind him and saw that the rain wasn't even done, while it appeared that way, it wasn't. He turned his head back to Brock and Yang standing next to each other with the former having a slightly pleading expression and the latter having a pissed off one.

 **"That's where you're wrong Brock. The rain hasn't stopped and I'm not going to calm down. You chose to side with a hunter so you can die like one also, it's fitting because you two will look so lovely in a body bag."** Ares snarled and charged at them again. Brock charged at him with a slower but heavier speed and Yang did also but she took up the sides, looking for a weak spot. Both monsters finally collided and started throwing jabs at each other, ranging from clawing, punching, kicking, and even biting in Ares' case. Brock threw an double axe handle strike at Ares, who dodged and followed up with an uppercut, before gasping in pain when he was hit in the stomach. His eyes widened when Ares grabbed his face and headbutted him. He was then sent flying when a maced tail smashed against his stomach and slightly embedded its spikes in him. Yang screamed in anger and quickly sprinted up to him, ducking underneath a swipe before sidestepping an downward swing from the tail. She caught another swipe and held his arm while glaring up at him; she then punched him two times in the armpit then followed up with an uppercut that sent him in the air. Brock quickly recovered and gave thunderous footsteps as he charged at Ares while he was still airborne and tackled him down to the ground, pinning him there for a minute. He grabbed the back of Ares' head and slammed it into the floor, cracking it slightly before repeating this process a few more times. Ares then used his tail to smash the back of Brock's head which stunned him for a minute before using this small window to flip around and kick Brock in the stomach, sending him flying back before rolling backwards as Yang smashed the ground in front of him. She threw a series of fast and short jabs at his stomach and face before giving a low leg sweep making him jump back and blow a stream of fire at her. The ground in front of her suddenly turned charred black as the flame made contact before it was ripped up and thrown at her. She vaulted over the rock and was on Ares in an instant, throwing more jabs and kicks at him while redirecting his attacks towards her forearms and shoulders to minimize the damage. Her right fist suddenly made contact with his nose and a loud crack was heard, making him recoil in pain and stumble back.

 **"Fuuuuck!"** He roared in pain, kneeling down. He heard the sound of multiple feet and turned around to see Brock behind him and Yang in front of him, both charging at full speed. He rolled to the side just in time to see a colossal rock fist smash the ground and another fist soar past his head, he grabbed Yang by the arm and spun her around before tossing her into Brock, who caught her and set her down. Both stopped to catch their breaths while he glared at them before grabbing his nose and fixing it, snarling in pain while doing so. Black sludge started to spill from his nose and drip onto the ground in a thick manner, almost like goo. Brock looked at the black substance then stepped forward to try and talk to Ares again.

"Ares, dammit this isn't you. Now stop because you're going to overwork yourself." Brock tried to reason.

 **"You suddenly know me so well now, huh Brock?"** Ares asked, tilting his head. **"You behemoths are always so dimwitted, to the point of even a fucking colonist child can fool you."** He insulted making Brock growl lowly.

"This is your last chance Ares, I don't want to bring my brother home unconscious." Brock practically pleaded making Ares snarl at the word 'brother'.

 **"I only have one brother Brock... AND HE'S CERTAINLY SAFER AWAY FROM YOU!"** Ares snarled charged at them. Brock crouched a bit and held out his arms waiting for Ares to collide with him, when he did he tightly squeezed. Hold on Ares was close to bone crushing because if he didn't then the other monster would escape, he then looked at Ares' eyes and widened his when he looked. In place of Ares' normal deep orange magma-like eyes was replaced with a deep blood red that matched a Grimm's with his sclera was pitch black and his irises were blood red. His eyes overall showed a wild, unhinged, rabid beast that was finally free from being imprisoned for years.

"Ares! You need to calm down now! You're going-" Brock was cut off when he felt a stabbing sensation in his stomach and shakily looked down to see Ares' obsidian knife embedded in his stomach, he looked back up at Ares who smiled in return and then grabbed his face, pushing him off the knife and onto the ground. The girls gasped as they saw Brock's body fall to the ground with a loud thump and Ares standing over him with a bloody stone knife in hand. He knelt down towards Brock and used his hood to wipe the blood off before slowly standing up and looking at them. Ruby jumped and clung to Weiss when she saw his eyes stare into their souls, just like a Grimm's. Blake tensed immensely; her faunus instincts kicking in and telling her that she was dealing with an apex predator and that there was no escape from it. Yang looked at Brock's body for a while then shakily looked at Ares, who just swayed his tail back and forth, before charging at him and throwing a left hook. He caught it and then caught her other hand when she threw another one at him. She struggled a bit before he reared his head back and opened his mouth wide showing the razor sharp canines that made themselves home within his mouth before thrusting his head down at her. She reared her head back and thrust it forward just as his was a few inches away and headbutted him in the forehead, stunning him long enough for her to deliver a swift kick to his crotch. His eyes widened immensely and he gave a low groan before kneeling down and holding his private area, he barely registered the swift punch to the back of the head before he was rendered unconscious.

* * *

Ares woke with blurry vision and groaned in pain when he tried to sit up. It took a few minutes but eventually he did and he found himself in a cell with concrete walls and a single door made out of metal that didn't have any windows, just a food slot. He stood up and tried to walk forward but found his hands chained to the wall and it looked to be a heavy chain at that. He pulled his arms a few times while growling before snarling when he knelt down on the ground and began to pull at the chain in a desperate manner.

"The chains won't break you know..." He heard Ozpin's voice echo from the other side of the door. He didn't say anything and resumed to pull at the chains for a minute, even resorting to heating up a portion to see if it would break but to no avail, the chains still held strong and didn't even give signs of wear and tear. Ozpin chuckled a bit as he watched the boy in front of him try to break the chains then later sighed when he saw him continue to try and break them. He heard the sound of footsteps behind him and turned to see Brock and Glynda walking side by side with the latter having an agitated look on her face. She barely said anything and stormed into the cell and glared at the boy in front of her while Brock did the same except in a slower manner, having a similar expression on his face.

"Do you know how much damage you caused to the school? How much you hurt one of my students?! _My_ students!" She reprimanded at him. He slumped his head down and continued to pull at the chains at a slower pace but still pulled, he mostly droned her out and continued to focus on breaking out of these FUCKING CHAINS!

"The others are mad at you." Brock said while staring at Ares with a neutral expression. He looked up at the older monster and gave him his full attention.

 **"The fuck? Why?"** Ares asked.

"Gee, I don't know. You attacked and stabbed me and attacked a few hunters, caused damage to the school and sent the young ones to a doctor that you 'know'." Brock replied sarcastically making Ares growl at him.

 **"Fuck you Brock! The only reason I'm here is because you wouldn't go back to your fatass form and take us all back home once we got out of camera range. But nooooooo, you decided to make a goddamn orgy with the hunter sluts."** Ares said making Brock walk over to him and kneel in front of him.

"You're here because of your own negligence and decided to attack Yang, to which the cameras saw, and attack me also." Brock explained.

 **"Well you decided to be wrapped around her little finger and go along with her doings. You get pissed off at the smallest things and decide to act like a goddamn boss around some fucking children who don't care about rules, not to mention you talked about my parents when you had no right so tell me Brock. WHO'S IN THE FUCKING WRONG NOW?!"** Ares roared in his face. Brock just stared at Ares with an impassive look before standing up and turning to Glynda.

"I'm ready to leave now." He nodded towards her while she gave a curt one and walked out. Brock stopped and looked back at Ares' form that was quivering in rage as he stared at the floor with a gaze so intense it threatened to burn a hole in it.

"I'll see you in a week brother." Brock said.

 **"Fuck you."** Ares growled at him but kept his gaze on the floor. Brock sighed and closed the door quietly before Walking away with Glynda and Ozpin, stepping in the elevator and staring down the hall at the lone cell that occupied Ares. He swore he could see his gaze burn a hole with the amount of hate that was building up on him.

"He'll forgive me one day." Brock whispered to himself hopefully.

* * *

The week was going by slowly, much to the dismay of Ares. His little solitary confinement was beginning to take a toll on him and have unwanted side effects to the point where security had to come in the cell and 'contain' him. Without his hunter outfit on his person the nights began to get cold and uncomfortable, even his natural body heat couldn't keep him warm on the stone cold ground. But over the course of the week he began to bask in the quietness of the cell, the isolation began to consider him a friend and the darkness considered him an ally, comforting him when he had no one else here right now. The coldness soothed him when he heard the hunters above laughing and prancing around behind their bastion, oblivious as to how the wild is.

 **"It's so calm... like the blue ocean on Shear."** He whispered silently and closed his eyes. The quiet cell had lasted in its dark cold comforting glory for a few hours before light had shined through and a figure stepped inside, making him give a new hissing noise he picked up.

"Whoa big man... didn't know you could do that." He heard the one woman's voice he hated with every fiber of his being. He glanced at her then snorted in anger and turned away to block out some of the annoying thing he called light.

"Oh come on, me and the team are supposed to take you back home." She said, kneeling down. He didn't say anything and gestured for her scroll, to which she supplied before seeing him type something and hand it back to her.

 _"This is my home."_ He wrote and turned to stare at the wall, the same one where he carved a insignia on it.

"No, Brock brought me to your guys' home a few days ago. Everyone's nice and all... a little hostile at first but nice overall." Yang smiled before dropping it when Ares started to chuckle, then give a mirthless laugh, then eventually give a full blown laugh that didn't sound to stable.

"Heh, heh, heh... yeeeaaah. That's a funny joke Ares. Mind telling me?" She asked while looking back at the numerous people that had catch poles and held nervous expressions, she jumped back when one of the people holding the poles was yanked in by a broken chain and held by the throat. She immediately got in a battle stance and aimed Ember Celica at him while he held a faunus girl hostage while laughing, her nerves were put on edge when she looked at his eyes and immediately noticed they didn't have their calm scowling look anymore. They seemed broken and held anger with some pain but also held a vast amount of insanity.

"Big man, just calm down okay? We won't try anything but you have to let her go." Yang said slowly while gesturing to the girl in his hands who was quivering in fear. Ares' eyes widened when he saw the rest of Yang's team walk behind her and then get into a combat stance when they saw the situation. He gave a low bone chilling laugh before opening his mouth to the horror of the girls and the hostage and sank his teeth into her shoulder. She screamed in agony when he began to thrash his head around causing blood to fly all over the place and tear out a chunk of flesh before swallowing it with a wet slurp. Ruby turned and puked, Weiss covered her eyes and rubbed them to get the image out, Blake's grip on her weapon tightened as she watched in horror as he continued to feed on the poor girl in his arms, and Yang's eyes turned to red as she watched him continued to feed. Brock was wrong about Ares, he's nothing but a monster in disguise and that's all he'll ever be.

"You monster!" She screamed and aimed Ember Celica at him. He quickly snapped the faunus girl's neck with a loud crack and threw her bloody body on the floor before stretching his arms out wide and giving a feral smile.

 **"In the flesh."** He chuckled as a shell soared through the air and found itself planted in his skull, sending pieces everywhere and painting the walls and floor red.

* * *

*GASP*

That was the first thing he did when he woke up from the dream. He looked around to see that he was still in the cold yet comforting confines of the cell, while his dream was far fetched at the aspect of him getting killed that easily the side effects of the isolation wasn't. He did begin to enjoy the isolation and all its quiet glory, something he was going to miss when they hunters decided to release him back into the wild. His legs were bent and his arms rested on them while his head was slumped down just staring at the floor. Although the dream was faker than Brock, the thought of killing that girl excited him immensely. The thought of her scream as flesh was removed and the blood caking his face and the surrounding area brought a savage grin to his face, giving him the look of a deranged killer... wasn't entirely wrong. There were times he enjoyed killing and basking in its sick feeling but quickly pushed them down when he saw his sibling's faces. His time in isolation pushed his feelings for them down to the point where he didn't think he wanted to see them again, the thought of finally being free to roam the forest and kill whatever he wanted made him excited. Who needs them? They're in good hands with Michelle, Arachne, Mathias, and... Brock.

 **"I'd rather kiss the devil than leave them with him. That backstabbing two timing piece of shit fucker!"** He roared suddenly then winced when the sound bounced off and echoed in his ears. This little encounter with Brock and his hunter sluts brought a whole new perspective on him; he was just like that blue haired pussy that he should have eaten all those months ago. He began to ponder what he would do if he ever saw that little shit again, he was so caught up in his thoughts he didn't notice the cell door open until something was thrown in front of him.

"Hurry up and put it on animal." A voice grumbled making him crack a small smile before standing up and putting his hunter clothes on with some difficulty due to the chains. The person unlocked his chains but then later put handcuffs on him while having a weapon pointed at him for good measure and gestured for him to exit the cell, making him shield his eyes from the sudden assault of light and made his way down the hall. The person and him stepped into the elevator in an uncomfortable silence as he listened to the tune and slowly pulled on his hood, leaving nothing but his mouth showing. Both walked through the school and eventually made it to the bullhead docks to see RWBY standing there with their gear on; they moved out of the way and saw he had an armed escort with him and handcuffs on. The armed escort walked to Blake and handed her a set of keys before glancing at Ares.

"He's all yours." The escort said and walked away, leaving the girls to see Ares sit down in a seat and lay his arms across his lap while staring at the floor blankly. Ruby and Weiss took a seat away from him while Yang sat closer and kept a close distrustful eye on him, Blake just shook her head and opened a book. The ride to the destination was quiet for the most part with the exception of the bullhead creating a dull hum as it soared through the sky. While the girls kept to themselves and had conversations with each other Ares was mulling in his own thoughts. What was he going to do when he got back to the keep? Accept his punishment and go about like nothing happened in the first place, because if it was anybody's fault then it was Mathias'. He knew Ares didn't want to go back to that school yet he sent him anyways, he could have just sent Brock and everything would have been fine since the fucker got along with all the hunter scum there. And what about Michelle and Arachne? No doubt they'll rip into him like a new one for attacking people there

 **"Probably will, seeing as to how they react."** He sighed to himself and fell asleep, trying to conjure up the same dream but with a different ending. The bullhead lasted another hour before it set down in a nearby clearing and slowly opened the doors to let the occupants out. Yang roughly woke Ares up and hauled him out while keeping a close eye on him along with the rest of the team, who were slightly ahead of the two. Ruby remained ever so cheerful despite the tense air while Weiss kept harping on her to calm down and would eventually glance at Ares from the corner of her eye. Blake would sigh in annoyance and keep a vigilant eye on the forest, which was the more dangerous part of and Yang stuck close to him, giving the occasional push to make him speed up. While most would consider this a peaceful stroll through the woods it didn't feel like that for the girls. They felt as if they didn't belong here and needed to leave immediately but to Ares it felt like home, or as close to it as he could describe at the moment. Their trek lasted for another fifteen minutes until they came across a large figure wearing a Ursa pelt and had the hood up while staring quietly at them, sitting in a tree and swinging a leg. Yang immediately recognized who it was and gave a small wave while Ares just glared at him from beneath his hood and snorted when he waved at them.

"Thanks girls." Brock said hopping down and walking towards them.

"No problem." Ruby smiled making Brock walk up to Ares and place a hand on his shoulder. It was shrugged off and he was bumped into when the male Goliath didn't even wait for Brock to grab the keys to the cuffs before walking away. He didn't have a sense of direction of where to go but didn't care and just kept walking away from the five. Brock's voice barely registered to him until it was right in front of him and a hand was placed on his chest to stop his advance.

"Ares, stop. At least let me get the cuffs off of you first." Brock said then sighed in relief when Ares stuck out his hands and waited for the cuffs to come off. Once they did he wasn't even thanked and was pushed past. He vision caught sight of Ares' form disappear into the brush and quickly followed him to try and talk to him.

"Okay I know you're mad at me for what happened a week ago but at least say something." Brock said but frowned when he was met with silence. He sighed and looked forward to see the keep a about a mile away from their position and gave a light smile, not because of Ares' punishment but because of the sight of his home again.

* * *

Mathias, Michelle, and Arachne stood outside the keep while the children slept and waited for the boys to return. All three of them had a bone to pick with Ares, while they had already dealt with Brock and gave him his punishment Ares had a more severe one. Out of the three of them Michelle was the one that was the most pissed off; he not only attacked a hunter and/or possibly made the leader send more after them but also didn't take into consideration of the four girls that followed them. They heard branches break and turned to see Brock give them a small wave while Ares merely looked at them with an impassive look. Before Mathias could even utter a word Michelle was already charging and tackled Ares to the ground before throwing punches to his face. She continued to throw more and more punches for a minute before noticing that Ares wasn't even fighting back or even trying to defend himself in any way, he just lied on the ground taking her punches to the fullest.

 **"Do you realize how much shit you put us in?! You're lucky that we even considered bringing you back here! If I were the fucking leader I'd cast your ass out and have you hunted down and killed!"** She shouted and began to hit him again. Arachne saw him start to lose consciousness and placed a hand on her shoulder and pulled her off. She looked to see Ares sit up and wipe blood off his face before spitting some out and stand up with a dead look on his face, if anything pissed her off more it was his attitude towards the whole situation.

 **"Do you even care about what you did?"** She asked him.

 **"What does it matter? You four are just going to give me shit from now on so I just stopped caring before I could even start."** He shrugged. Arachne sighed in annoyance and shook her head before leading a fuming Michelle inside but not before shooting Ares a glance. Mathias walked up to Ares and shook his head before leading him inside and towards the dining hall, taking a seat on his pillow seat and Ares did the same but his was ripped to shreds and rendered useless. Brock stood near a cave wall and leaned on it while having an impassive expression as he looked at the two.

 **"Ares, you put us in a tough spot after that little stunt."** Mathias sighed.

 **"..."** He didn't give any reply and just stared at the stone table while scowling and started scraping it lightly. The whole room just reeked with tension as Mathias scowled and quickly brought his stick up to the table and stopped the scrapping.

 **"As I was saying before, we've been getting more and more hunters finding us and trying to get us to 'join' them. We had to use force to remove the last ones."** Mathias said making Ares snort.

 **"They knew about us before so why are you fretting? Plus you could have just killed and eaten them."** Ares chuckled making Mathias' eyes narrow.

 **"No because that would have lead to more experienced hunters after us and possibly kill us, so we let them go."** Mathias countered.

 **"You let them go because you're afraid to get your hands dirty."** Ares shot making Brock give a small growl and Mathias narrow his eyes dangerously.

 **"They came looking for you and we didn't give them your location."** Mathias said out of the blue.

 **"Well I'm grateful then, so grateful that the leader of our little group does something to protect me from the big bad hunters. News flash Mathias they knew where I was the whole time!"** Ares replied sarcastically.

 **"...I'll just skip right to the punishment since you want to get smart with me."** Mathias said heatedly.

 **"Oh what is my punishment all knowing father Mathias?"** Ares replied with a fake bow.

 **"For the next few weeks you can either have somebody watch you since you're not adult enough to do it yourself. Or you can choose isolation without any aid from us."** Mathias said firmly making Ares clench his fist.

 **"So let me get this straight. Brock can get away with being put under a fucking hunter slut's finger, siding with her to fight me instead of helping a fellow monster fight a hunter, and you just let it slide? But I have to have a babysitter?!"** Ares shouted heatedly making everyone wake up and slowly peek down from the edge to see them argue. Michelle and Arachne looked at each other then at Ares' angered form in annoyance.

 **"He's already been punished. Compared to you he's not the one at fault. Give me your mask, knife, and shards."** Mathias ordered.

 **"Why?"** Ares asked.

 **"Because I know this'll serve as part of your punishment... you'll get them back in a few weeks."** Mathias assured.

 **"You want to have my gear so bad? fine... but expect the isolation to be a lot longer than a few weeks."** Ares growled and began to take off his gear before throwing it on the table, making the contents scatter. He stomped out of the keep with steam coming off his form and leave indents in the ground from his angered footsteps. Brock was about to follow him but Mathias stopped him with a few words.

 **"Leave him Brock."** Mathias said.

 **"I get punishing him severely but isn't this a little much?"** He asked.

 **"No. He needs to learn that actions like these require severe punishment."** Mathias said, sipping from his tea. Arachne and Michelle looked at the children then tilted their heads to imply it was time for them to leave, Ken and Rei already left when they heard their brother was leaving followed by Frost, who also looked at him as an older brother. Once they were all gone both of them jumped down and sat down in their collective spots while looking at Mathias.

 **"So what's the plan?"** Arachne asked.

 **"You three keep an eye on him. If he does do something then you'll be there to stop him."** Mathias informed.

 **"Mathias. We shouldn't have done this, I mean did you see the look in his eyes?"** She asked.

 **"I'm pretty sure no one was paying attention to that."** Michelle said.

 **"That's because you were busy beating him to a pulp before even trying to talk to him Michelle."** Arachne commented dryly.

 **"He deserved it."** She huffed making Arachne roll her eyes.

 **"I'm saying that he had a tired look in his eyes, I saw it when I asked him if he cared about it. He was stressed-"** She said.

 **"What does this have to do with anything-"** Brock asked.

 **"Well if you would let me finish then I'd get to it Brock. So shut the fuck up and let me finish."** She hissed sharply, making him clamp his mouth shut.

 **"s-sorry."** He gulped as she continued to glare at him with a shrunken pupil while her white eye seemed to glow brightly.

 **"As I was saying before big, brawn, and stupid over here decided to interrupt, is that Ares was stressed over being isolated from us an entire week."** She began to explain.

 **"Arachne, I'm not seeing the point."** Michelle said making Arachne pinch the bridge of her nose tightly.

 **"FOR FUCK'S SAKE! HE FEELS BETRAYED BY US!"** She shrieked loudly, making them cover their ears.

 **"Arachne stop screaming-"** Michelle tried to say but was interrupted when she felt a slap across her cheek.

 **"Then start trying to comprehend to you fucks! Brock, he feels betrayed by you because you sided with a hunter instead of your fellow monster and left him at a hunter school, A hunter school Brock, for an entire week! Mathias, he feels betrayed and angered by you because you sent him to a place he had no desire to go back to but you didn't even care about that did you? You could have sent any of us but you decided to pick him for whatever reason and gave him a more severe punishment for defending Frost from a hunter. So if anybody is at fault it's you! And finally you..."** Arachne pointed to Michelle who glared at her then flinched at the serious look she was given. Like an angered mother to a daughter. **"You didn't even bother trying to listen to him when he came back and just attacked him. Did any part of your brain probably think that maybe, I don't know, it stressed him out?"** She asked.

 **"...No..."** Michelle said after a moments pause.

 **"He didn't even bother trying to fight back when you almost broke his nose, I only stopped you because you were about to render him unconscious because you had a little tantrum. So tell me Michelle how would you feel if I started beating you up without trying to listen in the first place?!"** Arachne practically screamed again.

 **"Not good..."** She mumbled.

 **"He doesn't like me because I intentionally annoy the shit out of him for fun but you go out of your way to be a bitch to him for no reason, over what? First impressions? Sure these last few months you've grown on him but do you think he's grown on you?"** Arachne asked sarcastically. Michelle eventually started to shrink under the truth that Arachne was saying, while the spider monster was known to have a hyperactive jovial personality she had an extremely serious side when provoked and wasn't afraid to say what was on her mind when time came. Brock looked to the side and was about to leave the room but stopped dead in his tracks when a puddle of acid was shot in front of him, he then turned to see Arachne slowly close her mouth and wipe it to get rid of any residue acid. Mathias breathed out of his nostrils slowly and rubbed his temples to rid of a migraine that was beginning to form from the truth Arachne said. It was true in the fullest though. He didn't even care about what Ares thought and just sent him and Brock there without even discussing anything.

 **"Then what do you suppose we do then?"** Michelle asked after a few minutes of silence.

 **"I don't know about you two but I'm going to give him time to calm down and keep an eye on him. I suggest you two don't come since you'll probably make your presence known and piss him off even more."** Arachne huffed and began to walk out the door.

 **"Wait, how do you know he won't notice you?"** Brock asked.

 **"I used to watch him from a distance when he stayed at that shitty hunter school."** Arachne said making Michelle raise an eyebrow.

 **"That's a little creepy Arachne."** She said.

 **"Oh and you watching him bathe while you-"** Arachne was cut off when Michelle quickly shot up and covered her mouth while having a red face. Arachne looked at Michelle's red face and began to wiggle her eyebrows coyly making her face heat up even more. She then licked Michelle's hand making her quickly let go and whip her hand back and forth to rid it of saliva while muttering a sting of curses. She laughed at the other girl's pissed off form before sighing and walking out of the keep while humming a tune.

 **"Always the one that has to take charge when shit hits the fan."** She muttered to herself and quickly leaped in the trees.

* * *

 **"Few weeks of isolation he said. You wanted a few weeks, I'll give you a few months you fucking old senile asswipe."** Ares growled as he marched through the forest. His punishment was isolation without any tools or aid from anybody was bad enough but what made it worse was that Mathias didn't even punish Brock that bad, a simple slap on the wrist was all his punishment was. It was complete bullshit and both knew it and Michelle attacking him made the whole situation worse.

 **"I save her sister from being eaten by a Grimm and this is how she repays me? Bitch."** He muttered and just walked in a random direction, far away from the keep. The sky began to darken and the air around began to get cooler, much to his pleasure. Over the course of the week in that cell he had gained a new love for the dark; while he was a apex predator during the day, the night was his kingdom and he was the king. Nothing was safe from his watchful eye, no wildlife, hunter, or even inanimate object was. He was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't notice a cave come up until he stepped into it and noticed how the darkness seemed to swallow him whole, surrounding him like a security blanket.

 **"This'll do nicely. I think I've found my new home."** He observed. The cave was dark and dry while keeping a relatively cool temperature. It had a wide pillar in the middle with dead sticks that seemed to be scattered with rocks everywhere, there was even a little puddle in the back that seemed to be used for something. He found a spot in the back of the cave that seemed perfect for a bed if he made one. While he enjoyed the darkness and all its comforting glory, he needed light and what better way than to make torches from animal fat, sticks, and a few other flammable materials. He exited the cave and finally took in the surrounding area's features. The cave entrance was wide and had the top of the cliff acting as a cover from the sun up above. The surrounding area was a hill that had a path that lead into the cave while a stream ran along the path and into a nearby waterfall, creating a gentle distant crashing noise. He knew the isolation would probably last a few weeks like Mathias had said but he was considering making it last a few months with how nice this place looked, it brought a new sense of home to him. Rei and Ken would like it out here. Plenty of space to run around, a creek to play in, wildlife that was near, and a good location just in case an attack happened. Just because it was a different world didn't mean that there wouldn't be an attack at anytime, you were never safe wherever you went. His thoughts were interrupted when his stomach started growling violently making him sigh and stretch a bit, he didn't even eat before he was temporarily exiled for something as trivial as attacking a hunter for trying to harm someone he was close to.

 **"Haven't hunted in a week... I need this."** He said, tilting his head up in the air and taking a deep breath, catching the scent of an animal and rushing into the brush. A few minutes after he left Arachne dropped from the tree she was hanging on and looked around the new place he discovered with interest.

 **"Huh, never thought a little exile would lead you to discover this place. It's nice and open for all of us if the keep ever fell... better keep a mental note of this place."** She mused and hopped back into a tree and just sat there. It was about an hour away from the keep at a jog or a very fast walk but an two hours at a nice steady walk. She wanted to stay here and sleep in the tree but decided against it because the others would probably worry about her and blame Ares, putting even more stress on his back. The bushes next to her started rustling and shifting before Ares was revealed, carrying a large buck on his shoulders with some rocks in a pouch that was made from a few vines and sticks; the deer was already half eaten due to its lower half being gone. Damn, how long had she been sitting in this tree? Must have been a couple of hours since the sky was completely dark right now and the stars were out with the moon shining up above. She looked to see Ares almost at the cave with the bisected dear being dragged across the ground and leave a trail of blood with some pieces of gore. She sighed and spared one last glance at Ares enter the dark cave before jumping branch to branch at a fast pace to go back home.

Her departure didn't go unnoticed though. While she thought she was sneaky most of the time she wasn't since Ares knew where she was the whole time. She didn't notice but her scent was all over the tree and ground, clouding it like a blanket.

 **"She doesn't know that she leaves a trail everywhere she goes."** He said, shaking his head and turning back to the dead deer in the middle of the cave that stared with a dead look in one eye, due to the other one being eaten already. The carcass was pulled up before being ripped in half and then again and again until it was nothing but a pile of flesh, bones, organs, fat, and fur. The flesh and organs was already eaten at a fast pace while the fat and fur was put thrown outside until the morning, the bones were then broken and carefully carved at until it was a makeshift knife. While he enjoyed tearing into prey like how he was in his original form he couldn't do that since his stomach wasn't as large and he didn't know when he'd find food again so he had to use the tools necessary to make it last when some more was found. He found a nearby rock with a small patch of grass near it and used it as a temporary bed, the cave floor wasn't exactly the most comfortable right now. The night sounds was a natural lullaby to him, he wishes he could live like this for the rest of his life. Pushing those thoughts aside he closed his eyes and fell asleep for the busy day tomorrow.

* * *

Morning came faster than he'd like but it didn't matter since today was going to be a busy one. The grass bed tickled his skin a bit and made him laugh at the sensation before pouting when he got up and stretched out his muscles. He stepped out of the cave and shielded his eyes at the sudden assault of light; judging by the position the sun was at it was about eleven in the morning give or take. The first thing on his list of things to do was find a source of food and clean water, without those two he won't last long. Second thing was to find different materials for tools and weapons, he couldn't always rely on close quarters to save him and sometimes he wasn't at his best with sneaking. The final thing was to survive the months ahead, prove to Mathias that exiling him was a mistake.

 **"Now that I have a plan, it's time to execute it."** He said and began to search around, but not before leaving claw marks on every few trees to help remember where this location was. He began to wander around in a certain direction for a minute before eventually finding a large open area that had a large pond and seemed to house a large variety of various wildlife that ranged from elk, moose, deer, a herd of bison, and numerous small critters that ate various plants and what not. The sight of all these animals was almost breathtaking and appetizing at the same time, it seemed all of them had a specific spot to reside at to avoid any territory trespassing. The food source was out of the way and it seemed there was plenty for a minute, now it was time to look for the components to make weapons and tools for later use. He began to walk back into the forest while making a large slash mark on a large tree to mark it as hunting grounds. The search for the materials necessary to make tools and weapons was a lot harder than it was supposed to be, on numerous occasions the materials were either located near a large group of Grimm or entering the camera zone of the forest, coming at night would serve better but that meant being more careful since Grimm seem to be more ferocious at that time. He had enough to make a simple hunting bow, makeshift stone knife, a few arrows, and a couple of traps; he couldn't be everywhere at once and sometimes he felt as if it were too easy to overpower his prey with brute force. Not to mention some of the prey were stronger than they let on to be, like the Bison he observed earlier. Charging an animal of that size and trying to overpower it would be suicide to most but not him, it wasn't the size that concerned him, it was the teamwork that did. An observation earlier demonstrated that they traveled in a singular line and protected the young and seemed to be very good at detecting danger. The other animals were good at that too which made it hard to get close and personal without being detected and throwing a rock could possibly miss its target and fire breath would scare the animals away rather than kill them. This wasn't Shear and he wasn't in his original form so he needed to be patient, use his head, and learn from his mistakes if he makes one.

The sky was beginning to turn a mixture of orange, pink, and some hints of yellow which indicated that it was late afternoon, early evening before turning a dark blue and eventually a solid black with billions of stars littering the sky. His stomach rumbled in fury as he began to get closer to the cave and remembered that all the deer from yesterday was gone. He shook his head and entered the cave while dropping the materials right at the entrance before stretching a bit and getting on all fours, charging into the forest at a fast pace. The hunt for food began to carry on from minutes, to tens of minutes, to eventually an hour before he picked up a scent of something. He finally caught arrived at a scene that perplexed him, another figure chewing on a dead elk. They were a bit smaller than him and had light skin that seemed to make the moon reflect, a spiked tail with light brown spikes, silver hair and olive eyes; after a minute of feeding they finally noticed him and stared while he did the same. The staring contest lasted for another minute before they suddenly perked up and bounced off the dead elk and ran into the brush while leaving a trail of blood on leaves and the ground, he slowly walked over to one of the leaves and knelt down while looking at the blood. Swiping some of it off and bringing it to his nose, he took a sniff and tilted his head when he felt like he knew that scent but couldn't quite place his finger on it. Deducing it as fatigue he looked back at the half eaten elk and shrugged before throwing it over his shoulder and walking back to the cave at a slightly fast pace; his stomach was beginning to kill him and he didn't want eat out in the open. Although the night was calm and relaxing, he couldn't help but feel as if something was watching him and it wasn't Arachne since there was no hint of poison in the air. After a short walk to the cave he found something at the entrance. It was a little knapsack made out of various furs of different animals and had numerous materials inside ranging from rope, meat with leaves wrapped around, a very sharp set of shards that had an orange sludge on them, and a few dust crystals. He raised an eyebrow at the shape of the crystals then later widened his eyes when he realized the shape they were in, arrowheads for his makeshift bow; he then looked around and shot a smile at the wild before walking in the cave for the night. Now that he had everything he needed, he could start surviving out here... oh how wrong Mathias was to exile him for the time being.

* * *

 **Months later:**

Isolation had been unforgiving and cruel towards him but in the end he prevailed. Over the course of a few months he had some key differences to both his appearance and mentality. He had more scars on his torso and arms with a few on his back from a lucky Ursa attack and a bite from a Beowolf. The spikes on his back were sharper and more jagged, his claws were also sharper to the point where they could cleave through rock if he tried hard enough and finally his canines were razor sharp after going through a massive change a week in. He still kept his hunter outfit on but started adding bones and skulls to it. The shoulders had the top part of wolf skulls and his forearms were covered in arm and leg bones from smaller animals but where sharpened, the knuckles had bones on them also but were sharpened with rocks and acted as sharpened bone knuckles. His hip was surrounded by skulls from various animals that posed an actual threat and made themselves stand out, thus him collecting them as trophies. He ground multiple bones into dust and mixed it with some other components to create a paint which he rubbed on his face in the style of a skull, giving him the look of a skeleton that came from hell. The paint lasted as long as wanted until washed off which was fortunate because sleeping with it on was a bitch and uncomfortable. Although his attire consisted of animal bones mostly he had a few human and faunus skulls too, which resided on his outer thighs. A couple of weeks ago a group of White Fang decided to use this part of the forest for a scouting mission for new recruits, none of them made it back since all of them were slaughtered the first night of the four night stay. Their screams of terror filled him with glee, the look on their faces when they began to see their numbers thin and their friends disappear made killing them all the more enjoyable. The last one actually pleaded for his life while trying to get the radio working but didn't get far before his head was ripped from his shoulders with his spine still attached; although it wasn't a worthy kill he still decided to keep the skull since the spine was still attached. They planned to send more into the forest and did but had to withdrawal when they realized the Grimm were beginning to increase in numbers and overwhelm them, thus securing his position since he killed them right near the hunting grounds and the cave wasn't far away. The human skulls were from a couple of thugs running from the authorities after committing a large crime to his knowledge, if killing a couple of people is considered a large crime. They had found his cave and decided to make their residence there until nightfall and were going to leave first thing in the morning but found themselves in a lock for survival when he came back to discover them there. The first three died when he skinned them alive and hung them upside down by their feet in a tree and the last one fought to the death and gave him a scar but ended up having his torso crushed underneath a boulder when he tried to flee. Their skulls were collected and decorated with different paint before being put near his bedside.

His mentality changed also, he was more patient when waiting for something to happen and pouncing on it the moment it did. Fighting was still his favorite thing to do when bored but after his fight with Yang he began to think more clearly. That fight proved that he wasn't the Alpha anymore, not even close because if she was still learning and he lost then how would he fare against a veteran hunter that's been on the field more times times than he can count? Granted he would still train on his own and continue as to what he did best, survive, then he'd be fine. While he was more patient he was also more calm when something didn't go his way or an unseen circumstance popped up out of nowhere made him adapt quickly to it or suffer. Arrogance had clouded his mind before when it came to handling a situation but now that it was dead and gone he had so much more possibilities that could be achieved. Now all that was left was to head back to the keep and collect his things, Rei, Frost, and Ken before heading back to the cave. The rest of the children still held a place in his heart like his siblings but certain three were the key to keeping him from going savage and butchering anything that was in a mile radius from him, his only purpose now was to help them grow and survive for years to come. That place wasn't his home anymore after that little argument with everyone, especially Mathias, who didn't even care what he thought about going back and sent him regardless. The thought of Brock just brought a sour taste to his mouth, his respect for Michelle hit rock bottom the moment she said he was lucky they all even considered bringing him back, he doesn't see her getting off her ass and hunting for everyone. Arachne actually seemed the calmest out of all of them, which was a surprise to him. She's always been the one to annoy the shit out of him for fun and games but when he last saw her she seemed more annoyed than anything, plus it somewhat believed she cared since every couple of days she would check up on him then leave after an hour. The children didn't deserve any scorn since they didn't do anything wrong and were probably confused as to why he's gone right now.

 **"Time to head back I guess..."** He whispered to himself and began to walk back, enjoying the flora and fauna around. The trip back was rather peaceful with the exceptional Beowolf trying to attack him and failing in the end, the only real threat was a sleeping Deathstalker that was basking in the sun and taking in all its bright glory. The Grimm seemed rather docile today for some odd reason, not that any of it bothered him which just meant getting to the destination was faster. After two hours of walking through the forest he came across the keep, which looked the same. Not a lot had changed but the exception of the deer skull at the entrance.

 **"Huh, when did they add that?"** He asked looking at the deer skull with a swirl design in the middle of the head. He entered the keep and immediately noticed that there was talking in the main hall and crouched down low, sneaking quietly while slowly getting closer. He then lied on his stomach and began to crawl while generating little to no noise once so ever, beating Arachne in stealth at this point. Once near the edge he was about to roar to scare everybody but clamped his mouth shut when he saw four certain individuals that caused him stress for the past year. There they were having a conversation with everybody and laughing while doing so, with the exception of Rei, Frost, and Ken who sat next to Arachne and kept quiet for the most part. His older self wouldn't have thought about the chaos that would be caused and charge right in but the new him had second thoughts, all four of them were exceptionally skilled and would mop the floor with him if provoked. He remained silent and just watched from the shadows above as they all had a conversation.

"Hey Mathias, when did you all get here?" Ruby asked curiously.

"Hmm, that's a good question. Brock when did we get here?" Mathias asked to Brock who was making little sculptures before crushing them.

"About ten years ago, memory's kind of foggy though." He shrugged then made a stone flower before handing it to Yang, who smiled in return.

"That's cool. What kind of weapons do you all use?" Ruby asked a bit excitedly making Brock shoot a small smile.

"Mostly spears, rocks, and our abilities." He said making Ruby beam a bit.

"What kind of abilities?" Weiss asked, now interested in the topic. She had been observing the art that the children did and she had to admit, most of it was enough to pass in an art show and probably win a few bucks but didn't try to swipe any since the children seemed really attached to it.

"Ah bah bah bah, that would be telling. Maybe another time sorry." He apologized, making Ruby and Weiss deflate a bit. Blake watched all of them talk and smiled a bit when she was addressed but her main focus was on Arachne, Frost, Rei, and Ken. The older one seemed to pay more attention to the conversation while the younger three kept to themselves mostly, only giving responses when asked about themselves but even then they were short answers that held no joy. Earlier they had talked about Ares and how they exiled him for a few weeks but he decided that a few months would be better; while she didn't like the fact that he was exiled she understood why he was though. He was beginning to become more unhinged as time progressed and was starting to become a danger to everyone, going out at night and taking out cameras, hunting when it wasn't needed, fighting more with Michelle and Brock, and even threatening to kill Arachne if she didn't leave him alone. This last time though made it clear that he needed to stay away for a minute to let everything blow over but it seemed to do more damage than good since Rei, Frost, and Ken weren't doing what they usually do. They were more antisocial, moody, and even violent when Ares was talked about making it clear they relied on him for any type of support. Ken's obsession for weapon making began to get dangerous to the point where any type of component was confiscated from him until he either stopped or Ares came back, Rei started making blankets and covering everyone's doors so much they had to dig to get out but ran into a trap every time, and Frost started lighting everything on fire and getting in fights with Andy, which resulted in her breaking the poor boy's arm biting off a part of his ear, making him fear her. He still has nightmares and Arachne has to get up in the middle of the night to calm him down while he sobbed in her chest, it was clear Ares being gone was beginning to break their family apart. Blake was brought out of her thoughts when Rei spoke up for the first time without being addressed first.

"Hey Mathias?" She asked quietly.

"Yes?" He asked. Everyone in the room looked at her while she just kept her gave down.

"Can we go?" She asked. He saw her expression and took a deep breath before nodding and watching as she exited the room followed by Ken and Frost, who shot Yang a glare. She blinked a bit before rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly.

"They're uh... still mad at me huh?" She asked.

"Yeah... they'll be like that for a while. Rei and Ken got that bad from Ares bad, Frost probably got it from him too." Arachne sighed and began to stand up but stopped when Mathias held out his stick and shook his head.

"They need time." He said.

"They need their brother back Mathias, it's obvious him being gone is affecting them. God I told you exiling him was a bad idea." She muttered and left the room, leaving it quiet for a minute.

"Yikes... she always like this?" Yang asked.

"No she's not. She's usually the happiest one out of all of us actually, she only became like this after Ares left. There are times when she doesn't want anything to do with us and just comforts those three." Brock said with a hand on his head. The girls looked at him and placed a hand on his shoulders making him look around and smile a bit. Michelle looked around the room and sighed before looking to her right when she saw Mimi sit next to her and lean on her arm while fiddling with the bracelet Rei made everyone, it was beginning to fall apart without care and frankly the small Goliath was afraid to ask Rei in fear of her having a meltdown. Michelle shuddered when she thought back to her first sight of Rei's meltdown, never in her life would she have thought that someone of that size could tear down an entire tree in thirty seconds and slice a rock in two while continuing to slaughter any Grimm that stood in her way. The only person who calmed her down was Arachne, who in one of her serious moments, was able to calm the young girl down enough before she fainted from exhaustion and fury.

 **"H-hey M-Michelle?"** Mimi stuttered. Without Ares her stuttering came back full force and turning her back into the timid Goliath once again.

"Yeah?" She asked.

 **"I-is Ares m-mad at us?"** Mimi asked.

"At me but not you." Michelle said.

 **"For those mean things you said to him?"** Mimi asked innocently.

"Yeah..." Michelle nodded and went silent for a minute.

 **"D-did you mean them?"** Mimi asked.

"No... I was mad at him but I didn't mean to push him away if this was the result." Michelle said and went quiet for the rest of the time, making Mimi nod and doze off. The team listened in on their conversation, the parts they could understand, and eventually felt guilty since they felt they were part of the reason he left. They never realized how much backbone he represented until Brock began to describe how Ares brought everybody closer together and made them family, after that each one of them felt an immense amount of guilt on their shoulders. Yang especially since she was the one who gave him the most shit, maybe if she left him alone then he'd still be here and not out in the wild. According to Ozpin, these parts of the woods were the most dangerous seeing as to how older more experienced Grimm live here.

"Girls before you try and make amends with Ares I suggest you give him time after he comes back. He's still mad at us so it'll be a while before he even considers sitting in the same room with you." Brock said. Ruby visibly deflated, Weiss huffed and said something along the lines of 'see if I care' but deep down inside she felt guilty also, Blake's ears flattened, and Yang just gave a heavy sigh before nodding.

"Shouldn't be too hard right?" Yang asked hopefully.

* * *

 **"Wrong."** Ares deadpanned and began to silently slink away while keeping a close eye on them. All of them were feeling guilty? Good, they deserve it for exiling him. There was a door closing and he walked towards his room and hid behind a corner when he saw Arachne trying to get in but seemed to be failing. He chuckled lowly and decided to mess with them by silently moving behind her and walking towards the door.

"Dammit Brock I told you to-" She suddenly stopped when she saw Ares looking at her with an amused expression. She stepped back and looked at him up and down while gaping in awe at how much he changed, in place of his always scowling pissed off expression was a calm collected individual who looked like they had lived out in the forest their entire life, his hunting outfit seemed to have bone armor on it and on his legs were human and faunus skulls, indicating he was hunting them also. On his back was a strange shaped double bow with a quiver of arrows with different style dust as the ammo and a little pouch on a crudely made belt. He had white chalky war paint that resembled a skull and had multiple shards in a pouch near his back and there was a crudely made grappling hook wrapped around his shoulder. Body and arms were littered with scars and the tattoos seemed to glow now instead of always remaining dim, glowing every once in a while. He licked his teeth a bit and showed his canines were sharper than ever and were a pearly white also as opposed to the always stained red.

 **"What the fu-"** She was interrupted when his hand clamped on her mouth and he used his other one to make a shushing gesture before turning to the room. He let go of her mouth and she rubbed her cheeks when she realized how sharp his claws had become and the spikes as well. Knocking on the door a couple of times he was met with a rather heated answer.

 **"Go away!"** Rei shrieked and huff loudly. He gently set his head on the door and spoke quietly for no one else to hear but the four around.

 **"Not even for your big brother?"** He quipped. It was silent for a minute before the door slowly opened and Rei peeked out before slowly looking up to see her brother's face with a raise eyebrow. The door was opened and she covered her mouth while tears welled in her eyes before she crashed into him as he knelt down and engulfed her in a hug.

 **"Rei? What's going on?"** Ken asked as he went over to Rei then later dropped his jaw when he saw his older brother hugging her before he looked up and opened his arms, inviting the young Kraken in the hug. Ken wasted no time and bolted over to join in while crying tears of joy, hugging tightly. Frost scratched her head before her eyes widened when she saw Ares at the door hugging his two siblings and shifted in place uncomfortably as they hugged.

 **"Get over here ya little shit."** He said and looked at her. Tears welled in her eyes as she stood there a second longer before she started crying also and bolted over to join in on the group hug. All three of them cried while hugging him tightly as if he'd disappear any moment while reprimanding him for staying away so long, he just nodded and pulled them over to the bed and sat down. Arachne just looked down the hall and saw that no one was coming before entering the room and closing the door, using her body to block it and keep it in place. The most depressed kids out of the group were brought out of the darkness and into the light once more as they were with the brother figure once again. Despite the fact that she loved reunions she needed to put him in his place.

 **"You're a dumbass you know."** She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

 **"I'm aware of that. Any reason for calling me that though?"** He asked calmly. She was taken aback at how calm he actually sounded but composed herself quickly.

 **"You staying away a lot longer than needed, putting these three in a depressed state, and making me lose my shit with the adults."** She listed.

 **"Not to mention you watching over me this entire time."** He added making her turn her head.

 **"Don't know what you're talking about."** She denied.

 **"Arachne, you're not as sneaky as you think. Every time you come to watch for an hour you leave a scent that covers almost an entire area. Plus I've been able to sneak up on you at least like three times."** He said making her face turn red.

 **"That's bullshit and you know it."** She hissed.

 **"Oh really now? So like that time you fell out of the tree and hid in a bush while I hunted doesn't ring any bells? Or that time your shirt got wet and you took it off to let it dry before deciding to bask in the sun and-"** He was interrupted when she shot a web at his mouth and turned with an even redder face that was flushed with embarrassment. Ken took his claw and sliced open the webbing and pulled it free from his face.

 **"Thanks."** Ares said making Ken nod and take one of the arrows and observe it with Rei and Frost who observed the rest of his gear. **"As I was saying before you're not as sneaky as you think."** He finished.

 **"Okay, fine! You've been able to tell I was there the whole time fucking sue me."** She huffed.

 **"I'd rather do the fucking."** He said making her eyes widen.

 **"D-did you just?"** She sputtered.

 **"Make a joke? Yes. After being alone for a few months the sight of a woman is actually pleasing."** He shrugged. Arachne's embarrassed dissipated and was replaced with a playful smirk.

 **"Oh yeah? So you have been looking at me that way, you pervert."** She said and smashed her chest against his and spun around playfully making him sputter and struggle a bit.

 **"Oh course not! Get away!"** He exclaimed. **"Don't shove your breasts against me!"** He said embarrassed, shoving her off.

 **"You're no fun."** She smirked at him while he breathed heavily. The three children smiled at Arachne's original attitude starting to resurface and laughed at the scene in front of them. Arachne flashed another playful smirk at Ares' face before sighing and walking towards the door.

 **"Don't try and stay mad at them too long dumbass-"** She was interrupted when someone opened the door and knocked her over. **"What the fuck?"** She asked and looked up to see a Goliath that was around her height, maybe a tad bit taller with light skin, no spikes on her back, a barbed tail with very light brown color, silver hair, and olive colored eyes. She caught sight and Arachne and blushed in embarrassment before scrambling to help her up.

 **"Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to do that."** She said frantically, helping her up.

 **"Whoa there sputterfest calm down, and who the hell are you?"** Arachne asked with a raised eyebrow.

 **"O-oh I'm Sistine..."** She said timidly that made Arachne gush internally.

 **"Okay Sistine... why are you here?"** She asked.

 **"I'm looking for Ares."** She said.

* * *

 **AN: Well goddamn everyone I'm so sorry for not having this out sooner but I've been trying to keep up with school and work since both have been kicking my ass around the world. Anyways, I've added another character in memory of one of my very good childhood friends from when I was a kid. Now I know what you're thinking, oh she died right? No, which is very fortunate in her case and somewhat of mine. She actually lost some of her memories when her parents and her got in a car crash back in 2010. I've known this girl since I was four years old so that meant six years of memories were wiped clean and she didn't even recognize who I was before I moved away, it's really heartbreaking to have someone you've grown close to and come to love as a best friend and maybe more forget who you are in a single incident. Anyways remember to cherish the ones you love and stay safe everyone, remember the golden rule about reviews and have a good one, take it easy.**


	12. Chapter 12: Moving from problems

**AN: Welcome back ladies and gentlemen! Happy late thanksgiving and possibly early or late Christmas depending on when you actually get to read this. I'm sorry I haven't been uploading this as much as my other story, I've just had so many ideas that have came to mind for that. There are so many ideas that I've actually already made the ending for it and so much more but let's not discuss that. I do believe we have some reviews to discuss, yeah?**

 **STRIKER ENERGY: Glad I could keep your interest and thanks for the review.**

 **GrimmKingOfAtlas: Thanks for the review, and about Arachne. I actually wanted to make her extra to somewhat describe one of my friend's personality. I'm actually glad I don't have any negatives, at the moment anyways. My pillow got fucked up when my dog decided to use it as a humping pillow then tear it up... little fucker.**

 **XCOMHEAVY12: I can't wait for it and hope it's out soon. Yeah, you kind of gave me an idea the last review you posted (which was very well written and actually helped me point out some flaws in his character) and decided, hey? What the hell. It ties into your idea but has some different points as far as the consumption of the Grimm. I wanted to give a sort of Predator vibe to him, because who's to say that the White Fang or someone else wouldn't wonder in the woods? As you can see he's extremely territorial but smart when he's hunting prey now, preferring to asses them first before going in for the kill, collecting them as trophies if they're worthy. Now he won't go and actively hunt down randoms for pleasure but he'll get rid of any trespassers that step onto his territory and don't leave withing a certain time frame. Thanks for reviewing, and holy hell. You have become one of my favorite reviewers and possibly my favorite author when your story comes out; I'll be sure to check out your story once it's posted and give you the love and support you've given me.**

 **Carnivore Does: Thanks for reviewing and which version are you talking about? The one** **by Simon & Garfunkel or Disturbed?**

 **Now that the goddamn reviews are out of the way, I'd say it's time to keep this show on the road. Without further adieu, let's roll on with the fucking story!**

* * *

The moment his name was called by that familiar voice he froze. How long had it been since her voice had touched his ears, embracing them gently to reassure him that everything would be alright? Too long, long enough for him to almost forget it. All was quiet for a minute before he stood up and she noticed him, staring blankly before slowly walking up and embracing him in a hug.

 **"Long time no see huh?"** She asked quietly, taking in his scent to confirm it was actually him. He nodded and wrapped his arms around her and squeezed tightly, as if she would disappear at any moment. Ken and Rei's eyes were confused at first before they slowly widened and they gave childish squeals.

 **"Sistine!"** They both squealed in delight as they went to the hug. She laughed and opened her arms for the two little ones to join in, taking in their scents also. All four of them were in a group hug and held onto each other tightly while Arachne and Frost stood to the side, the latter uncomfortably as she watched them. Arachne's eyebrow raised a bit as she saw all three of them hugging this mysterious woman that somehow seemed to slip in the keep undetected, eventually coughing in her hand to gain their attention.

 **"Who are you?"** She asked.

 **"I'm uh... someone Ares knows."** Sistine said, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly.

 **"That's not really answering my question."** Arachne deadpanned while tapping her foot. Sistine didn't really know how to answer with the look the woman in front of her was giving, it was so unsettling and personally her mere presence scared her. She was brought out of her thoughts when Ares gently pushed past her and stood in front of Arachne with a calm expression, completely unlike himself in the past.

 **"She's someone from my childhood Arachne. She's possibly the first friend I've had that hasn't tried to kill me in the future."** He explained. Arachne's stern expression softened before she sighed and nodded a bit, raising an eyebrow when Sistine picked up Rei and placed her on her back.

 **"You had friends? Man, the universe sure has it's mysteries."** Arachne said making Ares give his trademark scowl that she had always loved to see for some reason.

 **"Not funny."** He said.

 **"I thought it was."** She smiled.

 **"I didn't, now shut up."** He replied.

 **"Aw, is the little baby getting upset?"** She cooed while pinching his cheeks. Everyone giggled as she pinched his cheeks and pulled them apart before squishing them back together and pulling at them again. He let out a low growl when she began to slap his face lightly then pull his head down and kiss it.

 **"Can you fuck off?"** He growled and shoved her off, making her cross her arms and stick a tongue out. She suddenly leaped on his shoulders and began to play with his head while struggling to stay on.

 **"I think the baby needs a nap."** She laughed and clamped both legs for better grip but then raised an eyebrow when he suddenly stopped moving and stood stock still; her eyes widened when he reached in his quiver and pulled out a white dust crystal and held it in front of her face.

 **"See this?"** He asked in an icy calm voice that made her shiver.

 **"Y-yeah."** She stuttered, body already freezing up at the sight of the crystal.

 **"If you don't get off my shoulders then I'll break it above both our heads and freeze us solid."** He explained lowly. Half a second later she was near the door and had her back pressed against it, staring wide eyed at the crystal, breathing heavily. Sistine muttered something underneath her breath then smiled when she felt Ken and Rei pressed against either side of her, leaning on her shoulders. Arachne stuck her hands and feet on the door and started scaling the wall while hissing when Ares stepped closer to her, flashing her fangs when he was a few feet away then finally spitting a web at his hand to block the crystal before bolting out the door. He peeked out the room and saw her round a corner before laughing and closing the door quietly to avoid anyone from discovering that he was back, he'd make his debut tomorrow but now it was time to catch up.

 **"So how're you?"** Sistine asked, looking at him with soft olive eyes.

 **"Fine... how have you been?"** He asked.

 **"Good."** She said, looking around to see the bag near him. **"I see you got my gifts."** She observed, making him look at the bag.

 **"You left these?"** He asked.

 **"Mhmm, figured you could use them for your stay. Plus... what kind of friend would I be if I let you die?"** She asked while brushing a lock of Rei's hair to the side.

 **"Like all the others who's left me in the past."** He shrugged and sat down next to her. Frost scampered up to him and sat on his lap before leaning back while playing with the grappling hook, rotating it every so often.

 **"Who's this little cutie?"** Sistine asked while tilting her head at Frost, who turned away shyly.

 **"This little shit is Frost. She's like me when I was younger."** He said rubbing Frost's hair lightly. She batted his hands away as he kept doing it until she huffed and gave up, succumbing into the rubbing.

 **"Defiant, sarcastic, cynical at times, and violent when you didn't get your way? Basically a giant savage little hatchling throwing a temper tantrum."** Sistine summarized.

 **"Yeah, something along those lines. Despite her being like me as far as violent she's extremely protective of Rei and Ken... all three of them looked out for each other while I was gone and for that I'm glad."** He smiled at each of them while they smiled back. The room was basked in a comfortable silence before they three little ones yawned and closed their eyes before falling completely asleep, making Ares and Sistine look at each other. He stood up with Frost in his arms and slowly went over to the head of the bed and dragged the blanket down while gently lowering her to the bed; Sistine did the same but needed help and carefully handed Ken to him while she tended to Rei. Once they were lowered both of them dragged the blanket back up to them until it was up to their shoulders and sighed when all of them were snoring softly, both looked at each other before shrugging and going on the outsides of the three. Sistine was next to Rei and Ares was next to Ken while Frost was smack dead in the middle of the four, all sharing the same bed.

 **"Night ash bearer."** He chuckled tiredly as he took off his hunting outfit and was in nothing but a pair of black shorts.

 **"Night you savage idiot."** She laughed quietly before falling asleep. Once she had closed her eyes and was snoring he eventually followed, finally able to get sleep next to the ones he calls family.

* * *

He was woken up by crying. Not wailing in anguish or agony but a soft cry that required you to strain to hear. He groggily got up and rubbed his eyes a bit to rid the fatigue and looked to his left to see all of them still asleep, Rei holding onto Sistine in an iron grip while Ken did the same to him. The door to the room slowly opened and he peeked out to see that it was still night, maybe early morning depending on the scent the air gave. Crying was beginning to get louder the closer he got to the halls and finally found the source of the sound, it was Andy there crying softly while holding his arm. It wasn't injured or anything but the way he was holding it was almost as if the young Goliath was reminiscing a phantom pain that seemed stuck to his young mind. Ares would watch in curiosity as he thrashed around in his sleep and eventually cry out in phantom pain which made him act. He knelt down and got close to the young Goliath but the moment he touched his shoulder his eyes shot open and he looked around frantically before he caught sight of Ares. He quickly scrambled backwards towards the wall and began to hyperventilate as he stared at Ares' orange eyes that glowed in the dark, making him seem like a monster from a nightmare.

 **"S-s-stay away from me."** He whimpered and tried to scramble back more but hit the wall.

 **"Andy... calm down. It's me Ares."** Ares said as he got closer to the young Goliath. Andy didn't calm down in the slightest and was about to scream out loud but stopped when a hand clamped around his mouth; he looked up to see Ares look at him with a calm but concerned expression. He struggled a bit but eventually gave up and looked at Ares with teary eyes, sniffling every once in a while. Andy's mouth was released and was pressed tightly together trying to keep any noise from coming out but appeared to be failing since light whimpers could be heard.

 **"Are you calm?"** Ares asked calmly, making Andy shake his head quickly. **"Why aren't you calm little one?"** He asked quietly.

 **"I-I had a nightmare."** Andy sniffled.

 **"What was it about?"** Ares asked, sitting next to the young Goliath to ease his tension.

 **"Frost broke m-my arm again a-and she b-bit off part of my other ear."** He choked making Ares stare at him intently and quickly grab his head and turn it to indeed find part of Andy's left ear missing part of its lobe. He let go of Andy's head and sighed deeply for a second, blowing a plume of smoke out of his nose; he later picked Andy up and held onto him tightly while walking towards his room and entering it quietly. Once inside the room Andy caught sight of a strange female sleeping next to Rei and Frost, he began to visibly show his discomfort in the situation before he heard Ares talk to the strange female.

 **"Sistine..."** Ares whispered next to her ear.

 **"Hmm?"** She moaned sleepily.

 **"Got another one that wants to sleep in the bed with us."** He whispered. She turned and sleepily looked to see Ares with a tired look in his eyes and a young one that looked really uncomfortable before she sighed and nodded, opening her arms. Andy looked at Ares as he was lowered and reached out to him before he was engulfed in Sistine's soft arms, he struggled a bit before she started to hum gently while stroking his hair; she then began to rub his ear lobe while softly singing to calm him down. Eventually his eyes started to droop then close completely while he nuzzled in her chest, snoring softly with the rest of them. She sighed in relief when he fell asleep and tiredly looked at Ares, who was getting under the covers again, and whispered to him.

 **"Psst."** She whispered quietly to him.

 **"What?"** He mouthed to her. She glanced at Andy in her arms then looked back at him with a curious expression, silently asking for an explanation. He mouthed that he'd explain it in the morning and made her snort in amusement at his old tendencies before she closed her eyes and fell back asleep; while everyone was asleep and comfortable, he wasn't. How was he going to explain him arriving earlier tonight or last night depending on what time it was now to the others? Brock would probably try and say he was sorry then try to go back to how they were before the incident at the hunter school, Mathias would say he made a mistake and try to do the same as Brock, and Michelle would probably try to attack again then later apologize and say that he had deserved every bit of scorn. If this is what he's going to be returning to then he's better off with Sistine and the young ones at the cave he found months ago, it was big enough for them to live comfortably. His anger may have subsided but that didn't mean that he was even close to forgiving any of them, he was disappointed more than anything. Those thoughts were pushed aside though when he finally fell asleep in the warm confines of the bed.

* * *

The morning had came and filled the tunnels with warm air and scented the whole residence with an earthy smell. This was considered a lazy day for the group and even for Ares at some points but since there was no food in the storage or in the pot, this day needed to be productive. That's why when he woke up before anyone else he decided to go hunting while most of the animals were still asleep, but instead of going to the nearby hunting ground he decided to go to his near the cave and managed to catch an old Bison that was about to pass. He didn't even need to do anything to it since it had pretty much accepted death in any form, even going as far as exposing its neck a little bit so his claws could cut its neck open and slowly bleed it dry. The trip back was more of a hassle since he had to worry about other predators trying to steal the kill from him, a pack of wolves tried to take the meal but backed off when he burned two of them alive; later a bear tried to size him up but quickly fell when he smashed its skull with a boulder. Right now he was in the back room skinning the Bison quietly to avoid anyone from waking up, throwing the meats in the makeshift cooler, the fats in a container, and washing the blood that caked the ground into the little tunnel that lead outside.

Once all the blood was washed from the room and all the meats were stored he trekked back to his room and quietly opened it to find Arachne standing there looking at a still sleeping Sistine. She had on a pair of dark green panties and a black tank top that was tightly pressed against her. It wasn't a type of slutty attire but it wasn't for a younger audience.

 **"Arachne, why are you looking at Sistine?"** Ares sighed and sat on his side of the bed.

 **"How is she able to keep the children asleep this long? I've been struggling to just get them to calm down."** She gestured towards the sleeping bunch. He glanced at them too then shrugged and lied back down, closing his eyes for a minute before he reopened them when he felt Arachne nudge his arm.

 **"What?"** He asked, looking at her.

 **"Is there any food?"** She asked.

 **"Mhmm, now can you go away now?"** He asked and turned away.

 **"Yeah... you know it's noon?"** She asked.

 **"So? I'm tired and nobody else is up."** He yawned.

 **"Aren't you, I don't know... supposed to go reintroduce yourself to everyone else?"** She asked.

 **"Are those hunter girls still here?"** He asked tiredly.

 **"Yeah. They won't leave until later on tonight."** She said.

 **"Then I'm not leaving this room until they're gone."** He huffed and began to fall asleep again. Arachne just shook her head and walked out of the room, returning to her's while enjoying the warm air. On the way there she caught Yang in the hallway with slightly disheveled hair and raised an eyebrow as to why she's in the hallway. She was about to enter her room but Yang had spotted her and waved at her.

"Hey Arachne." She greeted, making Arachne frown at being caught in her sleeping wear then turn to greet Yang with a smile.

"What's up Yang?" Arachne greeted back.

"Nothing, I was just wondering where Brock is. He wasn't in the room with us when I woke up." Yang said.

"He's probably either near the cliff's edge or taking a walk. He usually goes on one when he's either stressed or bored, but I'm guessing it's the former." Arachne shrugged.

"Why?" Yang asked.

"He still feels guilty about Ares. All of us do in fact, but Brock seems to be taking it the hardest since he viewed him as a younger brother." Arachne explained. Yang's shoulders drooped a bit when she thought about Ares, it was part of her fault he's gone.

"Do you think he'll forgive us?" Yang asked.

"Well... he probably will." Arachne said making Yang perk up a bit. "In a few years give or take." She then added. Yang immediately deflated and hung her head low.

"We uh... really screwed up huh?" She asked.

"I'd say you did but I guess Ares is always like that. He puts trust and family above all else, and once you break one of those then it'll be a minute before he even decides to look your way." Arachne said. Yang shrunk further down the more she heard. She guessed this is what her punishment is for tampering with him, not only did she and the rest of the team get him exiled but they almost broke his family apart.

"We should have just left him alone." She sighed dejectedly.

"Well he's usually a beacon for trouble... Brock should be either in his room or outside." Arachne said and began to walk in her room. Popping her head out for a second.

"Hey Yang?" She asked.

"Yeah?" She asked back.

"If you and Brock are going to 'shag' then please do it when no one is around and wash up afterwords." Arachne said.

"W-what!? We weren't doing that!" Yang denied with a red face.

"Oh please. I can smell it on you and him. You two are very active I can tell you that." Arachne deadpanned and closed the door to her room; leaving Yang standing in the middle of the hall with a red face. She muttered something under her breath and searched around to look for Brock, first looking where Arachne had advised and didn't find him there but then searched all around for half an hour and found him staring at the back room.

"Brock?" She called out to him. He quickly turned around with a stupidly happy expression on his face and was wagging his tail quickly.

"Yang! Do you see this?!" He asked excitedly as he showed her the back room.

"No? What's got you so excited?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Look!" He said and lead her to the storage unit and opened it. Her eyes widened when she saw all of this food in the storage, last time she had checked there wasn't any food in the container, which means someone had gone hunting.

"Where the hell did all this come from?" She asked.

"There's only one person who bags this much game." He said, bouncing up and down.

"Ares?" Yang wondered making him nod his head quickly.

"He's back! Oh man, this is great! It means-" He spoke quickly.

"Brock." Someone interrupted, making him and Yang to see Michelle, Ruby, Weiss, and Blake all standing there with tired looks on their faces.

"What's got you so excited?" Ruby yawned.

"Ares is back!" He exclaimed making all their eyes widen.

"W-what?" Michelle asked incredulously. He was here? And he didn't bother telling anyone?

"Yeah, and he brought us food. Oh man he wasn't pissed off at me then I'd hug him. Although he still might hit me even if he wasn't mad, but that's besides the point." He said making everyone sweat drop. He quickly pushed passed everyone and made his way to Ares' room with a light expression on his face and saw Arachne walk out of her room with a pair of tan pants on with the same tank top and a green jacket over her.

"Arachne! Did you know Ares is back?" Brock asked excitedly, making her raise and eyebrow. She leaned to the side and saw everyone behind him, all heading towards Ares' room where him, Sistine, and the little ones slept.

"Oh yeah." She said nonchalantly and began to walk past them.

"Wait? You knew?" He asked incredulously.

"Yep, he got here maybe late last night. Went hunting this morning. Technically he was going to make his big reveal when you four were gone but hey since you all know, eh what the hell." She shrugged and began to walk away but stopped. "Oh don't go in his room because him and Sistine are sleeping and won't be awake for another few hours. They'll probably be up later on tonight." She added and walked towards the main hall, leaving all of them dumbfounded at the name Sistine.

"Who is that?" Weiss asked.

"I dunno. Let's find out." Brock said and walked up to the door slowly, opening it quietly to avoid generating any noise and peeked inside with everyone else. They saw Ares and widened their eyes at his differences. He had more scars on his torso and arms from fighting, his tattoos glowed more often as opposed to being dull all the time, the spikes on his back were more jagged and looked ready to gut someone, his claws were razor sharp, and he had a calm collected look and not his usual scowling one. Next to the bed was a bag that had different makeshift weapons and gear; ranging from a double bow, arrows with dust crystals as the arrow heads, throwing shards, a makeshift jagged knife, and a grappling hook. Ruby had to contain herself from pouncing on the weapons and waking him up, in fear of his reaction. Their eyes roamed to the right and they saw the strange female that must be Sistine. Her skin complexion matched Ruby's but was a shade lighter, silver hair that seemed to shine, no spikes on her back, and had a tail with light brown spikes. In between the two were the little ones that slept snugly, making soft snores as they were nuzzled in between. The team had the urge not to gush at the adorable sight and were held back when Brock had to stick his arm out to prevent them from barging into the room and taking pictures. Michelle just stared at the sleeping bunch with a neutral expression, part of her was angry at him for staying away so long but another part of her felt guilty for pushing him to that point.

"I think we should leave before we wake him up." Brock whispered.

 **"Too late."** Ares said, startling them when he spoke. While his voice was calm and collected it held no warmth towards their presence but it held no hostility either, it felt dead to be honest.

"Oh hey Ares... you heard us?" Brock asked sheepishly.

 **"Kind of hard not to with you screaming."** Ares replied, he didn't even open his eyes to acknowledge them which stung a bit.

"Yeah, sorry about that." Brock said rubbing the back of his head. It was quiet for a minute with the exception of the soft snoring before Ares spoke up again.

 **"What do you want?"** He asked calmly.

"We wanted to apologize to you." Brock said making Ares give a light chuckle after a moment's silence.

 **"I'll accept your apology but do not think this puts us on good terms Brock. Same goes for you Michelle."** He said towards them, opening an eye. Everyone backed up when his eye opened and brushed over all of them in boredom.

"Why not?" Michelle asked.

 **"You really serious right now? Let me think, you said you would have me killed if you were the leader, haven't treated me with actual respect because of first impressions which happened almost a year ago, and finally you almost broke my nose and rendered me unconscious."** He explained making her shrink. It went quiet for a minute again before he sighed and got up, showing all of them his full body, which was littered with a few scars ranging from a bite mark to a slash mark. He began to get dressed in his hunting gear and showed everyone the changes it went through. Needless to say they were disturbed at all the bones they saw attached to it, what disturbed them a lot was the fact that he was collecting them as trophies now. But the thing that made them blank in fear was when he pulled out human and faunus skulls and attached them to his belt, this signaled that he wasn't just hunting animals and Grimm now, everyone was his game. Blake backed away when she saw how many skulls there were, too many to count.

"You're hunting faunus and people now?" She asked with clenched fists. He looked at her and flashed her a toothy smile that showed his canines were sharper and whiter now, it was a savage smile that promised massive amounts of pain if provoked. Brock and Michelle looked at him differently, this wasn't the Ares they knew; the one who would play with the children when no one else would, go hunting when needed, or just joke around. This was someone who had been out in the wild and basked in its untamed glory, turning him into the apex predator of these woods. They truly did make him into a monster who had no filter when it came to killing. Everyone in the room realized that this wasn't someone who would just rush into battle with no assessment, this was a predator that preferred to stalk their prey and physically, emotionally, and mentally break them before ending their life quickly. It was behind this mask of calmness and intelligence lied an untamed beast that would rather use the gained knowledge to slowly break their opponent before taking them out.

"What happened to you?" Brock asked.

 **"The wild did. You all threw me to the wolves... now look at me. I came back leading the pack."** He said and brushed past all of them but stopped when he got to the door. **"You wake them up and I'll break you."** He said and left the room. Michelle and Brock blinked at him, usually he would have cursed as a way of showing he was relaxed but not once did he, it made both of them uncomfortable. All six of them left the room quietly to avoid waking the sleeping bunch and headed outside to see Ares making some more arrows in silence with dust crystals as the arrowheads; Weiss nearly exploded when she saw him throw a red one over his shoulder in an uncaring manner, making it land near them. He looked over his shoulder and glanced at them before turning back and sharpening the crystals to a razors edge, each arrowhead was tied to a stick tightly and put in his quiver. The area around was basked into an uncomfortable silence, the only noise was from nature in the distance but even then silence seemed to affect there too. Getting fed up with the constant company just standing there, he finally turned around with a minor agitated look but still kept his cool.

 **"I can see you all are standing there, what do you want?"** He asked them, placing the final arrow in the quiver.

"We wanted to apologize to you." Brock said.

 **"I don't need another apology. I need to know what is it you all want."** Ares deadpanned.

"Then nothing I guess." Brock rubbed the back of his neck. Ares just rolled his eyes and walked past each of them, gently opening the door to his room and closing it behind him. Sistine was still asleep and so were the little ones. It was almost a shame to wake them up since all of them looked so peaceful but they couldn't just sleep the day away, it was too nice out to do that.

 **"Sistine."** He whispered as he knelt down next to her ear. She turned a bit and moved around some more before her eyes opened tiredly and stared at his.

"What?" She yawned in her human voice, making him raise an eyebrow.

 **"What's with the human tongue?"** He asked.

"I don't know, just happened to be there when I woke up... what time is it?" She stretched a bit before sighing and sitting up.

 **"Around noon. How'd you sleep?"** He asked.

"Fine." She said, putting on a pair of black flannel pajama pants and his black V-neck T-shirt. He raised an eyebrow as to why she chose that then dismissed it when he remembered that it was that shirt Mathias had bought him months ago. Those types of shirts always bothered him. After a minute of putting on the clothes she looked at him then smirked.

 **"What?"** He asked.

"Nothing. Come here you big idiot." She smiled. He walked over and sat down next to her with a confused expression; her hands traced a cut on his back, making him wince, and then reached in his bag and pulled something out. As she was applying something she stopped when black goo started to secrete from the cut and harden a bit before breaking off and landing on the bed.

"You can do it too?" She asked.

 **"Do what?"** He asked.

"Go back in your original form?" She asked, tilting her head.

 **"Supposedly, though I don't know how to. Last time I did it was when I fought those hunters a year ago."** He replied, lying back down on the bed. She lied down next to him and looked him in the eyes.

"Luckily for you, I know how to do it at will." She smirked and made his eyes widen.

 **"You do?!"** He asked.

"Yep, but it'll take a minute." She said.

 **"Doesn't matter. The fact that I can do it at will is enough."** He said. She shook her head at his antics of wanting to be back in his original form. **"Though, why aren't you in yours?"** He asked.

"Believe it or not, I somewhat enjoy being in this form."She said.

 **"The fuck? Why?"** He asked.

"Before you start getting angry like a hatchling, hear me out. Not only am I able to be treated as something other than a monster but I'm also able to go into different places and experience what humans do." She said. His brows furrowed at her statement. She always had a strange curiosity of humans and their activities, claiming that they were truly an amazing species that made the best of themselves. As children they would often get into arguments about humans; he would always say that they're nothing but genocidal beings that know nothing of the wild and destroy everything they touch while she claimed that they were also compassionate that had good in them and made great things too. He saw the bad in humans and hunters while she saw the good. She often claimed that he had a soft spot for humans too but he would usually deny it out of embarrassment.

 **"You truly are a strange one. How the hell did I meet you?"** He asked making her roll her eyes.

"Because you would often go near the swamp and tease the baby tyrants despite your mother's wishes, then later hide from her when she found out. I remember when you got caught toying with the Trap-Jaw she was studying and you tried to find another one that looked like it." She laughed softly.

 **"Okay to be fair, it had gave me a dirty look. And about mom finding out, it was only because Rei and Ken would give hints when she bribed them with something shiny."** He said. She rolled her eyes and looked at the sleeping bunch with a smile then dropped it slightly when shuffling could be heard from behind the door, Ares heard it too and scowled. Getting up and marching to the door he suddenly opened it and scowled when everybody fell from leaning on it, all of them landing in a giant heap. Brock looked up at Ares' neutral expression and swore he could see an agitated look in his eyes.

"Hey Ares, lovely weather we're having right?" He laughed nervously, making the other Goliath visibly scowl.

 **"How long have you been there?"** Ares asked stoically, even the girls gulped at his lack of emotion.

"This whole time." Brock gulped, not seeing the point in lying and breaking the already broken trust further.

 **"If I knew you were going to act like this then I would have never come back."** Ares said coldly. Brock and Michelle shrunk a bit but Sistine scowled when she saw his old habits of trust beginning to resurface.

"Ares. Don't be rude." She said sternly making everybody look at her. The looked back at him and saw him actually listen to someone else before widening their eyes when he nodded and walked back over to her, standing next to her. They all got off one another and brushed themselves off before standing up, staring at the duo awkwardly. The silence began to get uncomfortable as time passed before Sistine sighed and addressed them.

"You might as well begin to talk." She sighed.

"Oh okay... so how do you know Ares." Ruby asked uncomfortably, averting her eyes when Ares' gaze honed in on her.

"Grew up with him. I've been the only one he trusts and don't intend to break it." Sistine said, letting her gaze fall over Brock and Michelle, who averted theirs.

"What was he like when he was a kid?" Yang asked.

"Defiant, cynical at times, extremely violent when something doesn't go his way and... what else am I missing?" She tapped her chin while looking at him.

 **"Protective."** He said.

"Savage." Sistine said.

 **"That's not what I said."** He deadpanned. She didn't say anything and just placed her hand against his face and gently pushed it playfully, making the others gape when he didn't even retaliate. He had a smile on his face, like he was used to it.

"Savage?" Blake asked.

"He's a savage skinned Goliath. One of the rarest kinds out there, able to strike fear into any other species just by being near them." Sistine shrugged, unaware she was releasing some hidden information to the girls. The girls looked at Brock, who looked at each one of them and sighed.

"I wasn't lying when I saved you all that night. He's a savage skinned, only monsters who have gone through savagery and managed to regain their mind have it, though most of the time it's inherited. There's possibly only three savage skinned Goliaths that are alive and have their minds but they usually are left alone due to them being the best fighters, even one can take down a heavily fortified settlement in the span of a few hours." He explained. All of them looked back at Ares, who was tapping the side of Sistine's head with a claw in a playful manner then looked back at Brock.

"S-so he's the one who ripped Neptune's arm off?" Weiss asked shakily. Brock looked at her and nodded, feeling a little guilty for knowing so long and not telling her; she went up to Ares and poked his chest, not caring if she woke the sleeping bunch.

"Do you realize what you did to him?! He calls me every week and sobs in the scroll about you chewing his arm off! He had to give up his chance as a huntsman and go through surgery to even walk straight after you broke his spine! Sun and his team take him to therapy every three days so he can finally talk to someone because he can't even tell his friends what happened and even then he can barely talk! He's a broken boy with a broken body and mind! And all you can do is crack a smile at that?!" She shouted in his face. He gave a neutral look and shrugged at her outburst, she was about to smack him but was stopped when Sistine intervened, holding her hand and shaking her head. The others looked at Ares differently; Ruby didn't want to be near him and looked at him fearfully, Blake had her doubts about him being the monster but now that it's confirmed she didn't even want to know what he's capable of if he went savage, and Yang had an angered look on her face. Weiss' face though, it had one of absolute rage on it, the kind that swore vengeance on somebody. The room was heavy with turmoil and became stuffy as time passed, both parties didn't bother saying a word to one another before Sistine turned to him with a stern expression and spoke.

"Ares, what did I tell you about harming innocents? I understand that you don't care about humans but you told me back on Shear that you'd stay away from innocents. Yet you harmed an innocent boy." She said. He ignored her comment and turned to the six who stood by the door.

 **"It's funny you all came to apologize to me but here you stand scorning me for defending my family. Fun fact Sistine, Brock here stopped me from killing these four for trying to take Rei and Ken away from me, have me killed, and dissected for future study."** Ares said, turning his attention to her. She blinked a few times before her gaze hardened and she looked at them with slits.

"You what?" She said lowly. Blake sensed the turmoil that was about to go down and slowly began to creep out the room, then hastily walk down the hall and go outside. Brock then translated what Ares said and stepped back when he saw Sistine's expression.

"W-we didn't know it was him. We thought that he was a new type of Grimm and was going to attack." Ruby said nervously, shrinking a bit when Sistine gazed at her unblinkingly.

"So you thought that just because of his form that he was a new Grimm? You didn't even bother listening to his siblings when they said it was him, you should have known right then and there that it was him. I see why he attacks hunters. You're all nothing but killers claiming to be heroes." Sistine whispered harshly, picking up Andy and Frost before storming past them. Ares did the same to Rei and Ken but not before shooting a glance back at the six, specifically Brock.

 **"This could have been avoided you Brock. I merely wanted to come back to my home. But seeing as to how you've become more of a hunter than a monster, I'm not sure if I can call this place that anymore. I won't go after anyone you care about but know this... there won't be anyone to save you the next time you cross me."** Ares warned, walking out quietly. They all stood in silence and shifted uncomfortably. Hot tears leaked from Weiss' face as she rubbed them away harshly, this whole entire time he had been that monster that broke Neptune, but that's not what struck a nerve with her. It was the fact that Brock knew, he knew that Ares was that monster yet he didn't tell any of them.

"This is your fault!" She shouted at him.

"Me?" He asked.

"Yes! If you just told us that Ares was that monster, then we could have dealt with him sooner! He's the reason Neptune is the way he is now!" She shouted. In the span of a few seconds, Yang and Michelle were at his sides.

"Whoa there Weiss. Calm down okay? I'm sure Brock meant to tell us but didn't know how to. Plus he's dealt with Ares before, who's to say he can't do it again." Yang said. Weiss' breathing was hitched a bit and sounded forced as she glared at him then sat on the bed and began to cry, this whole encounter was a mistake.

"Why did we even come here?" She asked.

"I came to see Brock and Oobleck wanted to know more about Ares." Yang said.

"Then why the hell doesn't he just ask him in person?!" Weiss shouted. Ruby and Yang jumped at her sudden outburst. This was the first time they've ever heard her cuss and the first time they've ever seen her break down, this was really taking a toll on her.

"I don't know, maybe because Beacon just sends its students anywhere without any regard for their safety." They heard Arachne's voice from the door. She was leaning on the frame with a neutral expression but her voice was laced with sarcasm.

"It doesn't do that." Ruby defended.

"Oh really now? Then why are you all out here? I know it wasn't to kill a few Grimm or even try to find something. This is a spying mission sent by your oh so grand headmaster." Arachne said, twirling her fingers.

"No it isn't Arachne, if we were spying then we'd be back by now." Yang said.

"Bullshit. You're stay ends later on tonight at eight. Did you think I'm a fucking idiot?" She asked in a low tone, reaching behind her to throw a dismantled camera on the ground. All of them blanked when they saw the camera that was assigned to them by Oobleck.

"We're documenting." Yang tried to lie.

"Uh huh. And I guess scorning Ares for defending his family is 'documenting' too? You know, I didn't know how he came here or why he hates you all so much but now I actually understand now. He doesn't hate you all because you're not only hunters but a team that tried to take away what family he had left. You constantly spy on us, try to get us to 'join' you, and actually pretend like you give a damn about us. Those little things right there are enough to make me snap." She said dangerously. All of them could sense a dangerous aura emitting from her and backed away.

"Arachne, calm down." Brock said.

"I am calm Brock. I'm more disappointed than anything, because I told you earlier not to go in here because they're sleeping but what did you do?" She asked.

"He was already awake from my yelling." Brock said.

"That's not the point Brock. When I tell you something, it usually has a reason behind it; I don't usually sprout shit out of my ass for no reason. This was the one chance to apologize to him correctly and make him want to be part of us again and what do you all do?" She asked sarcastically.

"Don't blame this shit on us." Michelle said.

"Well I can't blame it on Ares now because he did nothing wrong. You know what? Maybe the problem isn't him... maybe it's you all." Arachne said and picked up his survival bag before grabbing a skull and walking out the room.

* * *

After Sistine had set Andy down in his bed she walked outside with Ares as he stared at the cliff's edge. He was carrying a sleeping Frost and Rei while Ken stood next to him with a spear and a mask on his face.

 **"I see why you didn't want to come back here."** She said.

 **"Yeah. Only reason I came back was for these three."** He gestured towards the three. She nodded and stood next to him before looking at Ken when he suddenly perked up and ran inside for a minute, later coming out with Ares' mask, throwing shards, and knife.

 **"You left these."** Ken said as he held up the select items.

 **"Thanks, can you go inside and grab Rei and Frost's too?"** He asked as he handed the girls to Sistine. Ken nodded and bolted back inside before coming out with the girls' spears, knives, and masks, handing them to his brother. Ares nodded as he held the select items in one hand and grabbed Rei from Sistine's arms, gesturing towards the woods. They left without saying their goodbyes to anybody, every single one of them had lost his respect except the little ones. The walk to the cave was silent with the exception of Ken humming and jumping on every rock he saw.

 **"Hey Ares? Where are we going?"** Ken asked.

 **"An actual safe place that's far from that hunter school and the keep."** He answered, setting Rei down as she woke up and tiredly walked next to him.

 **"Is it big? Does it have Water I can play in? Is there a lot of food? Will we be able to see the others?"** Ken asked quickly.

 **"Yes, yes, yes, and I don't know. It depends if they're ready to stop being hunter pets."** He said, pushing over a tree to create a bridge for them to cross. While they all walked and talked, no one noticed a crow flying up above while staring at them. The next few hours were spent just gazing at the flora with the occasional fauna, it truly was a beautiful place when there was no one trying to always pester or start a conflict. Once they had came within sight of the cave, all three of the children scampered off to explore while Ares and Sistine stood nearby and just smiled as the three of them stared in awe at the overall sight. Both of them walked inside the cave and Sistine was immediately taken aback at how much he had done with the place. Inside was torches that lit everything up while giving off a pleasant scent that smelled like a mixture of fruits, there appeared to be a little cover area that held a large bed and numerous tiny ones nearby that had a sort of cover over them as well. The cover was made into a little shack like appearance that was composed of large logs kept together by strong vines and had animal fur covering it. Nearby was a skinning rack that was near a little crevice that flowed water towards the outside. A small container that was made out of clay seemed to be holding food in there and there was a fire pit smack dead in the center of the cave.

Nearby was a weapons rack that had numerous dust, arrows, knives, clubs, spears, and a couple of slings. There was also a few fire bombs spread out on the station made out of stone.

 **"Wow."** She breathed.

 **"Yeah, spent a lot of time in here. C'mon, we need to get to bed."** He said and lead her towards the bed, the children came inside and sat down next to them. Their stomachs began to rumble loudly making him raise an eyebrow then move to the makeshift cooler and pull out a large piece of meat. He threw some logs in the fireplace and sucked in some air before blowing a stream of fire to make a large fire and threw the meat on a stick and place it over the open flame. All their mouths watered as the meat cooked for a minute before he took it off and sprinkled something on it and handed each of them a large chunk, to which they snatched from his hands and tore into it like a pack of wolves. Even Sistine tore into hers in haste. Each one of them took another piece and ate it quickly before leaning back with full bellies, the little ones burping before falling asleep. Sistine and Ares looked at each other before placing them in the master's bed and going back to the fire place.

 **"You really know how to make the best from the worst you know."** She said, leaning back on the log bench with fur covering.

 **"Yep."** He said and leaned back also. It went silent for a minute.

 **"I'm sorry."** She apologized.

 **"For what?"** He asked.

 **"Leaving you during the battle of Shear."** She said quietly. That's right. She had left them during the battle, thinking that she could try to hide from them, she didn't make it very far before Hyde had forced her into the fusion core.

 **"It's not your fault. I was too busy trying to destroy the power plant than checking up on you."** He sighed.

 **"But I had been there with you than maybe I'd been able to help out more and beat them-"** She was interrupted when he placed his hand on her shoulder.

 **"Sistine, we lost either way. Hunters managed to best us in our own terrain. It's not your fault that we lost to some killers."** He said. She looked down and sighed before nodding, about to head to bed until both heard something. He stood up and threw a stone shard at the shadow and made them fall.

 **"Ow! Dammit Ares."** Arachne said, rubbing her back.

 **"What are you doing here Arachne?"** He sighed.

 **"Came here to get away from Brock and them... mind if I sit down?"** She asked. He nodded and scooted over to give her some room.

 **"Did the others follow you?"** Sistine asked.

 **"Please. They couldn't even follow a simple trail if they wanted to."** Arachne said rolling her eyes.

 **"Are they that bad at tracking?"** Sistine asked.

 **"Kind of. Brock gets distracted by the smallest things, Michelle gets angry too fast, and Mathias's smell is going haywire due to how old he is."** Arachne said. This drew a few laughs from the three before Arachne looked around the cave. Ares handed her a piece of leftover meat.

 **"Thanks. This where you're going to be living from now on?"** She asked, chewing on the piece.

 **"To be honest, I don't know."** He sighed. Both girls looked at him and saw in his face how stressed this whole situation must be, exiled for a few months, came back only to be scorned, and forced to leave.

 **"If it was me, I'd stay here."** She said.

 **"Why?"** He asked.

 **"To be honest. The keep has been going through some problems recently; hunters finding us more, those drones that creep sends are starting to be more frequent, and not to mention food is starting to run low."** She listed.

 **"If food is running low then why don't you all just find another place to stay?"** Sistine asked.

 **"We don't have another place to stay actually."** Arachne sighed. Sistine just looked at her before an idea popped in her head and she looked at Ares, who just stared at her back.

 **"Sistine, no."** He said.

 **"You heard her Ares. They are starting to run low on food, and it's only a matter of time until they run completely out. We need to let them come here."** She said.

 **"No we don't. I specifically chose this place to get away from them, because we all know Brock can't keep his fucking mouth shut and Michelle is just going to bitch and complain."** He said as he stood up and paced around.

 **"What about Mathias and the little ones?"** Arachne asked.

 **"What about them?"** He asked.

 **"You really going to let them starve? I know Mathias is old and can hunt but come on, he can't stay out that long without breaking his back. The children barely know how to hunt and without anybody teaching them they won't know how to take care of themselves."** She explained. It went silent for a minute with the exception of Ares rubbing his head then blowing a plume of smoke out his nostrils.

 **"Alright fine. They can come."** He said.

 **"Thanks Ares."** Arachne said.

 **"On three conditions."** He said in a low tone. Sistine knew that tone of his, it was usually the one where he gave somebody one chance and that was it.

 **"What are they?"** She asked.

 **"First, they must never tell anybody about this place because if they do then there'll be a mess to clean up. Second, they are building their own hut because I'm not going to be building everything. And finally, every single one of us has a job. You can't just sit on your ass all day; if you want to stay here then earn your keep."** He explained.

 **"Seems easy enough. Do we get to design our own huts?"** She asked. He just nodded which made her squeal in delight and jump around before engulfing the two Goliaths in a hug. She was quickly shoved off when Ares roughly pushed her before looking behind to see if she had woken the three little ones up. Sistine rolled her eyes and waved to Arachne as she said her goodbyes and used her web to fling herself into the trees and back to the keep, telling the others the news. They looked at the sky and noticed how dark it had become in the span of a few hours and decided to turn in for the night.

 **"You do realize if Brock brings his hunters here I'm going to kill him this time right?"** Ares asked as he got underneath the covers.

 **"Yeah I do. If he jeopardizes the lives of any of us then I'll help you kill him."** Sistine smirked as she took got underneath the covers too. He shook his head and gave a light laugh before slowly closing his eyes and falling asleep, shortly followed by Sistine, who thought about the future.

* * *

 **One month later:**

Ares sat near the lake watching Rei, Frost, and Ken play in it. Each one of them had wanted to play in it today and practically dragged him to the lake despite him saying no. He didn't know where Sistine had gone for the last two hours, this morning she was moody and lashed out at him, leaving a slash mark on his chest. Pushing those thoughts aside he reached in his survival bag Arachne had dropped off a week ago and fished out a seashell bracelet, clenching it tightly in his hand before putting it away. The weather was sunny and warm, making it the perfect day to go swimming. He smirked when Ken disappeared for a second before reemerging with a crab in his hand and scare the girls when he swam close to them with it. There was a rustling noise behind him and he turned to see Sistine come out of the brush and sit next to him in silence. She leaned on his shoulder and just stared at the little ones in the lake before closing her eyes.

 **"Sistine."** He said.

 **"Hmm?"** She hummed.

 **"You alright?"** He asked then let out a little cough of black goo.

 **"Yeah. I'm just... tired."** She yawned. He leaned his head on her's and stared at the three continue to play in the water, eventually they got out and started to shake themselves dry, much to the dismay of Sistine and sat next to them. She opened her eyes when she felt Rei climb up on her lap and lean back while Frost and Ken did the same to Ares and just sat there in silence.

 **"When are we going hunting?"** Frost asked as she fiddled with her bracelet.

 **"Later on and-"** He stopped when he felt something rise from his throat and almost force itself out of his mouth. Frost and Ken quickly got off of him as he stumbled a few feet away and projectile vomited out black goo, staining the ground black with the sludge. Sistine was immediately by his side and held onto his chest and back as he vomited more at a faster pace.

 **"Ares! Ares look at me!"** She said as she knelt in front of him. He shakily looked at her with dilated eyes then held onto her tightly as she pulled him into a hug, violently vomiting more. **"Go in the cave!"** She shouted at the three, who didn't hesitate to run into the cave. She looked back at Ares as he breathed heavily.

 **"I-it hurts."** He coughed.

 **"I know. I know."** She said quietly as she held onto him tighter and stroked the back of his head to calm him down. It seemed to have a minimal effect because he was still coughing up black sludge. She sighed as what was happening. He was going through the evolution process between forms. The first few times are horrible since when inside the cocoon the cells of the host's body is ripped apart before being molded into the new form, feeling every single bit of pain. He fell on the ground and started to vomit more and more to the point where the sludge had nowhere to go and began to pool around them, forming a pile of the viscous substance.

 **"Y-you'll get hurt!"** He vomited near her. She placed a hand on his cheek and flashed a smile at him, hugging his neck as the mountain of sludge reached up to their necks at a rapid pace.

 **"I know."** She whispered as they were engulfed in the cocoon. It slowly steamed for a minute before hardening to where it was the same consistence of a jello-like object that was large in size.

* * *

He opened his eyes and found himself in a reddish-orange jelly-like fluid. It was warm and quiet inside of it, making it seem like a haven compared to the outside.

 ** _'Where am I?'_** He thought to himself as he looked around, feeling like he was everywhere. His mind felt expanded in a sense, like he could hold more.

 _ **'You're in the process of re-evolving.'**_ Sistine's voice echoed from somewhere. He looked around and eventually saw her floating there a few feet away, the only difference was that she wasn't wearing anything, he then looked down and saw he wasn't either. Where the hell had their clothes gone? She swam over to him slowly and then floated in front of him while staring at him with a smile.

 ** _'How are we... why are we... what is this? It feels... different.'_** He thought as he looked at his hands.

 _ **'When two monsters change forms with one another, their thoughts are shared. They become bonded inside the cocoon, and therefore bonded outside.'**_ She thought back to him, placing a hand on his.

 ** _'So you can hear my thoughts outside now?'_** He asked in childish curiosity. She gave a light laugh which echoed throughout the inside, bouncing off the walls and making their way to his ears.

 _ **'Unfortunately no, it's only on the inside... It's time for us to change Ares.'**_ She said softly and began to float away from him.

 ** _'Sistine... Sistine wait!"_** He thought frantically as he reached out. She flashed a soft smile to calm him down and her body started to dissolve slowly, eventually fading away and coming back as a small ball of white, growing in size and gaining limbs slowly. He felt something on his hands and looked down, widening his eyes when he saw the flesh on his body begin to dissolve and tried to swipe away the thing that was breaking him apart. His skin dissolved completely and showed open muscle that was dissolving slowly, it felt as if someone had thrown him into the acid swamp and sprayed him with hot water. His muscles dissolved into tiny particles and he began to thrash around before he suddenly stopped when his body had completely vanished and he was stuck in what would be described as a tiny igloo. He closed his eyes for a minute before he felt something grasp him gently and opened them to see Sistine in her monster form but as a tinier version. Limbs started to sprout and all feeling came back as his body began to mold him back into a physical form, except instead of pain he felt relief. His body started to grow in size until he was about the same size as Sistine.

 ** _'About time you got here you big baby.'_** She teased happily.

 ** _'You can't blame me for being cautious.'_** He said lightheartedly.

 ** _'Cautious my ass. You were scared.'_** She laughed. He just rolled his eyes and went quiet as his body began to grow in size as did her's until both were able to stand up on the ground and had to bend down to fit. They heard a thumping noise on the side of the cocoon and both looked to see a tiny silhouette tapping the side, it was Frost since they could barely make out the spikes on her back.

 ** _'Guess they're ready.'_** He looked at her.

 _ **'I guess they are.'**_ She laughed softly. Both leaned their heads up a bit and sliced open the cocoon with ease and let the sides of it fall down with a wet splat against the ground. Fresh air flooded their nostrils as both blew out a plume of smoke and gazed at the sunny sky, taking in its beauty. The rest of the slimy cocoon slid off their backs and landed on the ground before being tossed away by Sistine, they looked around and saw Frost staring up at them curiously. Sistine bent down and blew some air into her hair and made it fly back, she stared at the older monster before giggling happily and hugging her snout. Ares knelt down and nuzzled her too as she hugged him, all three of them heard a squeals of excitement and turned to see Rei and Ken warping and flying over to them, hugging their snouts while giggling happily. He gave a happy rumble and continued to nuzzle the three before Sistine opened up her hand and let them climb on, she walked over to the lake and lied down near the shore, curling around them gently. Due to him being larger than her, he curled around her and set his head near her's, later closing his eyes.

 **"You know we can't lounge around all day right?"** She asked, giving a light laugh as the three children climbed on top of her.

 **"Mhmm, though just... just let's. For a minute anyways."** He said.

 **"Fine you idiot."** She said lightheartedly and closed her eyes. She felt the children continue to climb on her for minutes on end until both of them heard Frost hit the ground hard and Ken laughing.

 **"Ken! You fucking asshole!"** Frost shouted angrily and began to climb on Sistine to chase him. Sistine's eyes snapped open and she stared wide eyed for a second before she looked at Frost and Ken. Ares began to snort in amusement then quickly clamped his mouth shut when Sistine shot him a stern glare.

 **"Children."** She said in an icy calm tone which made them shudder. Ken and Frost slowly and timidly walked in front of her with their heads down as she stared at them.

 **"H-hi Sistine. How're you?"** Frost asked nervously, trying to mitigate the punishment.

 **"I'm fine, thank you for asking. Now did I catch you cursing?"** Sistine asked, making Frost gulp.

 **"Yes."** She nodded timidly.

 **"You know you're not supposed to be cussing at this age right?"** Sistine asked calmly.

 **"Y-yes."** Frost said.

 **"So why are you cussing?"** Sistine asked.

 **"Because I wanted to be like you and Ares."** Frost mumbled making Sistine tilt her head.

 **"What was that?"** She asked.

 **"I wanted to be like you and Ares."** Frost repeated. Sistine just shook her head and sighed a bit before turning back.

 **"Listen Frost, Ares and I are almost adults which means we can say these things. Just because we say them doesn't mean we should."** She explained making Frost look down before nodding.

 **"But what about Brock and Yang?"** She asked innocently.

 **"What about them?"** Sistine asked.

 **"I hear them say it at night. Usually when everyone is asleep."** Frost said.

 **"And what do they say?"** Ares asked, already not liking where this was going.

 **"They usually say things like 'I fucking love you! Give me more you big fucker! Tear this cun-"** She began.

 **"Okay, stop. We'll uh... get on them too."** Sistine said uncomfortably. Oh god, that was super uncomfortable. Ken laughed and began to walk away but froze when Sistine spoke up.

 **"Don't think I'm not done with you yet."** She said calmly making him gulp.

 **"This is bullshit."** He whispered.

 **"Ken! Watch your fucking language!"** Ares shouted.

 **"Ares, you're not helping!"** Sistine exclaimed. The rest of the day was spent reprimanding three certain individuals that had cussing problem. Not one of them saw a Beowolf stare at them with flashing eyes before disappearing into the forest to report back to its master.

* * *

 **AN: Howdy ho everyone! I meant to have this out earlier but I got lazy and am currently working on my other story that should be out next week. No, not Remnants of a gold gear but yet another one. Anyways, I told you I would base Sistine off my friend and this is how she acted; caring and loving but stern and defiant. Don't have much to say other than you all know the golden rule of reviews and have a nice one. Take it easy guys and gals.**


	13. Chapter 13: Life inside all of us

**AN: Welcome back everyone and happy fucking late new year. I am so sorry that I've been procrastinating with this story and I made it up to you all by giving you another chapter. This may not be the best but at least it's a chapter for you all. I owe it to you guys. Now onto reviews.**

 **the-lost-memories6: The world may never know, thanks for reviewing.**

 **STRIKER ENERGY: Thanks for the feedback and when the hell are you going to update man? I've been waiting for another chapter since you made it.**

 **XCOMHEAVY: Damn dude, when the hell are those going to be up? Anyways, thanks for the review and I still to this day enjoy reading your reviews.**

 **GrimmKingOfAtlas: I had the exact same reaction when I saw him doing it. Thanks for the review and when the hell are you going to update your story?**

 **Table leg: I agree that Ares _is_ in the wrong but I'm not going to kill him for doing something dangerous. That's what makes him special, the fact that he's dangerous. Granted he'll be punished severely the next time he does something foolish and dangerous towards the others but I'm not going to kill him for it. Hell no.**

 **That's all for the reviews folks, so without further adieu... let's roll on with the fucking story.**

* * *

The five of them slept soundly near the lake, each one around each other protectively. Hours had passed since the change and Ares was enjoying it to the fullest. Although Sistine had tried to move numerous times, she failed in the end due to him putting more weight on her, which made her sigh in frustration. Rei and Frost slept soundly near Sistine's snout while Ken snored loudly on Ares'. He snorted in amusement when Sistine started to shift around from underneath him and slap her tail against the ground more as time passed.

 **"Ares, get off."** She murmured.

 **"No. I'm comfortable."** He snorted.

 **"Well I'm not. Now can you please get off?"** She asked, a bit more heatedly this time.

 **"What do I get if I do?"** He asked.

 **"You get to walk out of here alive, now get off me now."** She growled. Her growling woke up the girls and they tiredly hopped off of her before shuffling back to the cave and getting in their beds. Ken woke up and listened to their exchange for a bit before shrugging and going in the water again, this time with a spear in his hand. Ares playfully nipped the back of her neck and blew a gentle stream of fire against it while giving small purrs.

 **"Fine. I'll get off."** He said. She breathed out in relief and got up to stretch a bit while giving a low growl then scrunching up her body. It started to bubble and steam as her skin began to flake away into the air and disappear, eventually all that was left was a pile of steamy substance before her hand shot out. She came out of the pile with nothing on and looked around for her clothes then caught sight of Ares looking at her.

 **"What?"** She asked.

 **"Why'd you do that?"** He asked.

 **"Because you were lying on me and it was uncomfortable. Plus we've spent the last few hours in that form and I want to be in this one."** She explained while putting her pants on.

 **"Hey Sistine! Is this you're shirt?"** Ken asked as he held up a black V-neck.

 **"Yes, thank you Ken. Now go inside and get ready for bed."** She said.

 **"Noooo. I want to play in the water."** He whined.

 **"We'll play in the water tomorrow."** She reasoned. Ken whined some more before Ares snorted and went behind him, he nipped the back of his shirt and carried him over to the cave entrance, nudging him inside. Ken pouted and scampered inside while Ares just walked back to the lake and sat down near the shore, wrapping his tail around his legs and staring at the setting sun. Sistine walked next to him and climbed onto his shoulder before sitting on it and staring sunset. The two sat in silence for a minute before he gave a low groan and hunched down as his flesh began to flake away like hers did earlier until he was nothing but a steamy pile of matter sitting on the ground. He slowly emerged from the pile and fell on his knees as his senses began to focus themselves again before stood up. She walked next to him with his pants and he nodded in appreciation before putting them on; he yawned a bit before rubbing his eyes and gesturing towards the cave. They walked inside and found Ken and Rei in their beds asleep but Frost was in theirs with all the blankets wrapped around her.

 **"I knew we shouldn't have let her sleep in the bed with us."** Sistine sighed.

 **"Why not?"** Ares asked while getting underneath the covers.

 **"Because we never actually get the bed to ourselves. And the times we do it's minimal because she always manages to crawl back in when we're asleep."** She answered, pulling at the blanket to cover herself.

 **"We'll discuss it in the morning with her."** He yawned.

 **"But-"** She started.

 **"Sistine look, I've had to deal with it for a couple of years with those two over there. Frost is no different, she'll pout for a minute then eventually get over it."** He explained. She looked him in the eyes for a minute before sighing and nodding, closing her eyes. Once she was asleep he looked out the cave entrance and thought he saw a Beowolf staring inside but then dismissed it as fatigue and fell asleep.

A few hours had passed and Sistine was woken up in the middle of the night by shaking. At first it was gentle, then it started to get more forceful until the point where it almost made her curse at whoever was shaking her; though it softened when she saw that it was Frost. Her small face was contorted into a mixture of anxiety and discomfort as she stared at Sistine.

 **"Frost? What's wrong?"** Sistine yawned as she sat up and looked at the younger monster.

 **"I'm hungry."** She said quietly.

 **"Listen sweetie. You know the rules, no eating in the middle of the night."** Sistine said.

 **"I know but... can't I just have a little bite though?"** Frost asked.

 **"I'm sorry but no. The sun will be up in a few hours and we'll have breakfast."** Sistine answered.

 **"But please?"** Frost asked. Sistine sighed and put Frost on her lap while setting her chin against the top of her head.

 **"Frost, listen. I know you want something to eat right now but if you do then you'll spoil breakfast later. We don't want that do we?"** Sistine asked softly.

 **"No."** Frost said quietly and rubbed her face against Sistine's chest.

 **"Good, now let's get back to sleep."** Sistine said.

 **"But I'm not tired."** Frost pouted. Sistine sighed and began to rock back and forth while singing softly, she did this for a few minutes before shuffling was heard and she turned to see Ares sit up and rub his eyes before looking at her. She glanced at him then at a drowsy Frost, who looked at him and tiredly waved, then began to fall asleep. He reached over and plucked Frost from her arms and walked to the cave entrance to see the moon high in the sky. He heard shuffling around and turned to see Sistine asleep in the sheets with her hair covering her face. Frost shifted around in his arms and nestled her head in his the crook of his neck and patted his back tiredly, slowing down as time progressed. Eventually she fell back asleep and he walked back inside to put her in the bed but noticed she was latched onto him tightly and sighed in exasperation.

 **"Fine. One more night."** He whispered.

 **"Two."** She mumbled.

 **"One and a half. After that no more unless you have a nightmare."** He said sternly and sat down on the bed.

 **"Deal."** She yawned and fell asleep. All he did was shake his head slightly and lean back into the bed with her on his chest; he closed his eyes and felt her shuffle around a bit before finally getting settled in for the night.

* * *

The early morning light came at a comfortable pace, giving off its signal by the scent in the air. Usually he would be the first one to wake up today felt like a lazy day for him and he intended to make it that way, though it looks like it wouldn't be like that since Sistine was nudging his side. He shrugged her off numerous times before she bent down and started to nibble on the side of his ear playfully. She began to give more nibbles and poke the side of him before he finally had enough and flipped around, surprising her when he rolled with her in the bed then eventually pinned her.

 **"You know I like my sleep Sistine."** He said, getting closer to her face.

 **"I know. But it's fun to nibble on you first thing in the morning."** She replied while touching their noses and rubbing. He was taken aback at her sudden display of affection and gave a low growl as he started to return it; she smiled while giving purrs and gasped when he nipped her ear. Their little nibbles at each other went on for a few minutes and they laughed while doing so until they heard someone walking in the cave and turned to see Arachne standing there with her mouth slightly open.

 **"Oh, am I interrupting something?"** She asked with an amused smirk.

 **"Yes."** He said.

 **"No, just nipping Ares."** Sistine said and nipped his shoulder.

 **"Is this a common thing among Goliaths?"** Arachne asked.

 **"Yeah, we usually do it as a sign of affection."** Sistine said.

 **"Huh, you learn something new everyday I guess. And you two didn't manage to wake them, kudos to you."** Arachne clapped quietly. Ares gave a deadpan expression while Sistine just laughed and let go of him.

 **"Why are you here Arachne?"** He asked calmly.

 **"Wow, no hello? Fine I'm here because everyone else will be here later on today."** She huffed.

 **"Thanks."** He said and went back to nuzzling Sistine while she just gripped his head and nuzzled back. Arachne shrugged and left the cave while the two continued to do their little Goliath bonding. Once he heard Arachne leave the cave his gaze turned back to Sistine, she cupped his cheek and smiled at him while he did the same. There was a noise to the side and both turned to see Frost there with a tired expression before she got in the bed with them and lied down on top of Sistine and fell asleep. She looked at the younger girl on her then looked back at him, he just shrugged and fell into the bed with her as she lied down.

 **"I thought you talked to her."** She sighed.

 **"I did, she agreed that she'd sleep one more night."** He answered.

 **"Well this is getting ridiculous, I want to have the bed to ourselves for once."** She huffed.

 **"Just one more night Sistine, she's seven too. It's not uncommon for little ones to sleep with older family from time to time."** He explained.

 **"I guess you're right."** She sighed, realizing that he had more experience than she did. He shook his head and got up to look in the container to see there was barely any food and sighed in slight annoyance. Sistine saw his shoulders slightly sag and raised an eyebrow when he looked in the container.

 **"I'm going hunting. There should be enough food for you three till I get back."** He said while grabbing his hood.

 **"Alright. Be careful."** She waved. He nodded and left the cave to gaze up at the dark sky, breathing in the crisp morning air and sighing in relief when it flooded his systems. It was nice for someone to care about him, other than his siblings that is. Every time he went hunting either with one of the little ones or by himself, she would always wish for his safety and that he would have fun while doing so. It made him feel as if he mattered to someone else other than family. Her caring smile and attitude made him feel special inside, it made him feel like his father to an extent when his mother would always wish for his safe return while she looked after her kids and studied the nearby wildlife. He trekked through the forest for a while until he reached the hunting grounds and saw a herd of bison grazing near a river. There was an old looking one that seemed to be a ways away from the rest of the herd and decided that would be the next meal for him and the little ones.

He crouched down and hid himself well in the tall grass while keeping an eye on the old bison as it slowly walked, a twig snapped underneath him and he winced when the bison looked around. It looked around a bit more before lowering its head to graze, he gave a slight sigh of relief and started crawling towards it until he was right in its blind spot. Equipping his grappling hook and swinging it around with a small swishing noise, he threw it forward and let it wrap around the old animal's hind legs before pulling. It gave a loud bellow of surprise before it had its neck severed when a hunting knife was plunged deep inside. Blood squirted all over the grass as it flailed around for a minute before it fell limp. The others in the herd seemed to see what happened and prepared to charge before a stream of fire scared them away and burned the grass around them, startling the other animals as well. He looked back at his kill and tied its legs together with the grappling hook and started to drag it back to the cave, keeping an ear out for any predators that wanted to take his meal from him. A pack of wolves surrounded him and one of them tried to bit him from behind but found its neck snapped and body thrown to the side in an uncaring manner. Another one lunged at him and bit his forearm but was pried off and its lower jaw was ripped from its mouth before he clamped his teeth around its neck and tore out its throat, spitting it on the ground. The rest of the pack seemed to be wary of the new threat but quickly ran off when he picked up a boulder and smashed the next one's skull with a wet crunch. Blood seeped from his forearm slowly as he picked up the rope and began to drag the dead bison once again, this time at a slightly fast pace to avoid being attacked again.

* * *

Sistine had her hands slightly full at the moment. Rei and Ken wanted to explore while Frost wanted to go hunting, but she hadn't been feeling so good lately. Breakfast was less than enjoyable because the little ones had scarfed theirs down quickly and had taken her piece, which left her little to no food to eat, and not to mention the things she could eat didn't stay down. It didn't help that the others would be here soon and she didn't know how to greet them because the last time she even saw them didn't seem too pleasant, except with Arachne, she always checked up on them. She heard a roar and quickly rushed out the cave to see Ares dragging a large bison behind him and gave a sigh of relief at the sight of food, and that he was back safe in their home. He saw her and flashed a smile before gesturing towards a small area with a large skinning rack; she walked over and helped him load the large animal on the skinning rack and helped him start to skin it.

 **"How was your day?"** He asked, putting the fur on a nearby rack for washing.

 **"A little stressful, the little ones are keeping me busy and I worry about your safety when you go hunting."** She said and sunk a knife into the flesh and began to start cutting it up.

 **"Sistine, you don't always have to watch them alone. If they're putting stress on you then I can stay and always go hunting later with them so you can relax."** He said.

 **"No, it's okay. I mean you go hunting all day and provide for us while I just sit around and don't do anything."** She said.

 **"Bullshit, you and I both know you don't just sit around all day. You watch the three, make us clothes, and even go hunting with us when needed."** He countered.

 **"But what about you? I always feel as if I'm doing nothing while you go out and risk your life to get us food-"** She was interrupted when she started coughing. It sounded wet and she fell to her knees suddenly, he quickly was at her side and held her shoulders gently. Her eyes started drooping slightly and eventually they closed as her coughing stopped.

 **"Sistine? You alright?"** He asked.

 **"Yeah, just... tired."** She said quietly and set her head against his chest. They were basked in silence as her breathing was soft and filled the air with a small noise; she tiredly perked up a bit when he picked her up and carried her over to the cave and set her down in the bed. He walked out of the cave and started to finish cutting up the bison, putting it in a container and drag said container in the cave.

 **"Listen, I'm going to keep an eye out for the others while you just get some rest okay?"** He asked as he washed his hands of the blood.

 **"No, just... can you come lie down with me?"** She asked tiredly.

 **"Alright, just let me tell the three to get in here."** He said and walked out of the cave to see them already at the cave entrance. **"Listen you three. I need you to keep watch for the others while I take care of Sistine, alright?"** He asked them as he knelt down to their level.

 **"Is she alright?"** Rei asked.

 **"Yeah. She's just a little tired."** He reassured and walked back to the bed to see Sistine lying there looking drowsy. She opened her arms and he flashed a small smile before letting her engulf him and rub her forehead against his. He lied down on the bed and started to give low rumbles as she set her head against his shoulder and began to fall asleep. An hour had passed before he looked up to see Frost standing next to him with an antsy expression.

 **"The others are here."** She stated.

 **"Alright."** He yawned and blinked a few times to see her still her.

 **"Is she alright? I mean is she really alright?"** She asked worriedly.

 **"Yeah, she is Frost. She's just tired from watching you three all day, okay?"** He asked.

 **"So it's our fault?"** She asked as tears began to well in the corner of her eyes.

 **"No, God no."** He said and gently set Sistine down to avoid waking her as he leaned up and looked at Frost. **"Frost listen, she's just been really tired lately so none of it is your guys' fault. So don't worry about it."** He said, leaning over and wiping a few tears away. She blinked a few times before rubbing her eyes and sniffling a bit as she nodded and left to go greet the others. Sistine had placed a hand on his chest and lightly pulled him down to her level before setting her head back on his shoulder and looking at him tiredly.

 **"Go with them Ares."** She said quietly.

 **"What about you? It's clear you're not feeling well right now."** He stated.

 **"I'll be fine. I'm not sick, I'm just tired."** She said.

 **"Sistine you aren't just tired. I hear you get up and vomit in the middle of the night, get moody with me sometimes, and sleep more often than you should."** He countered.

 **"Just go with them okay? Ken, Rei, and Frost need you right now and the others need help getting set up."** She replied. He stared at her for a few seconds before blowing a plume of smoke out of his nostrils and nodding; setting his forehead against hers and throwing on his hood while walking out of the cave. The light blinded him for a split second and he blinked a few times to get his vision to adjust to the outdoors as he stared ahead for a second, once it cleared he saw Arachne, Michelle, and Mathias standing there while the rest of the children explored with Ken and Rei. Frost stood by him and fiddled with her knife as she pulled on his hand and stared at him.

 **"Can we go near the lake?"** She asked.

 **"Yeah, be careful though okay?"** He asked back to which she nodded and scampered off before he turned to the three adults. Mathias walked up to him and gazed at him apologetically.

 **"Listen, Ares. I'm sorry about what happened all those months ago, it was wrong of me to put you in that position and punish you for something that could have been avoided."** He apologized.

 **"It's alright Mathias. As I told Michelle and Brock before, I'll accept your apology but this doesn't mean we are on good terms right now."** Ares replied.

 **"And that's alright with me. So long as we put it behind us and keep something like this from happening again."** Mathias nodded and sighed deeply. Michelle walked up and rubbed the back of her head sheepishly.

 **"I'm sorry about what happened a few months ago."** She apologized then yelped when Arachne slapped the back of her head.

 **"And?"** Arachne asked with a raised eyebrow.

 **"The times where I threatened you, hit you, bit you, screamed, cursed, and tried to impale you on a spike for messing with me. Not to mention the disrespect I've been giving you since we've first met."** She added.

 **"As I said before with Mathias. I'll accept your apology but this doesn't put us on good terms any time soon."** He said.

 **"Fine..."** She mumbled. Ares just shook his head and looked around to see Brock not there and wondered where he was right now.

 **"Where the hell is Brock?"** He asked which made Mathias' brows furrow a bit.

 **"Brock decided that being with Yang was more important than being with his family."** He said lowly.

 **"Yeah, left the moment we announced we were moving and decided that being a hunter was something that felt right with him."** Arachne added. Michelle didn't say anything and just shook her head a bit and walked off to go look for a spot to build her hut, leaving Arachne and Mathias with Ares.

 **"So how have you been?"** Mathias asked.

 **"I've been good honestly, have my hands full a bit with the little ones and Sistine."** Ares shrugged.

 **"Sistine?"** Mathias asked.

 **"Yeah, she's a childhood friend of mine. A close one at that."** Ares replied, rubbing the back of his neck.

 **"Oh please, she's more than that."** Arachne commented with a smug grin. Ares laughed nervously at that which made Mathias raise an eyebrow but dismiss it for later, deciding that what the younger monster did in his personal time wasn't his business.

 **"Anyways, there's a spot over there where you can build your hut Mathias."** Ares said and pointed to a small crevice near the lake that had a good outlook of it while remaining close to the cave.

 **"Thank you. Maybe now I can finally get some peace and quiet before I start teaching the children."** He said and began to walk over to the spot, using his stick for slight support. Arachne smirked a bit before shooting Ares a sideways glance, to which he noticed and slightly scowled.

 **"What?"** He asked.

 **"Oh nothing... just that you are going to be our leader now."** She said out of the corner of her mouth.

 **"I thought Mathias was our leader."** He asked.

 **"Nope. The only reason why Mathias was the leader back at the keep was because that was his territory, you found this place and let us come here to live, thus making you our leader. Also I'm taking that spot in the corner."** She pointed towards a corner where the river first fell from the waterfall.

 **"That's fine, just make sure you don't mess with that tree over there. It's unstable."** He warned.

 **"Just because you said that I'm going to mess with it."** She giggled.

 **"You're fucking stupid."** He sighed.

 **"Try mentally unstable."** He laughed over her shoulder as she walked towards the tree. All he could do was shake his head and look around to see everyone content with their new home, the children were playing near the lake, Michelle was already building, Mathias was relaxing after the long walk, and Arachne was busy messing with the tree. He walked back to the cave and entered it to see Sistine asleep with a soft expression on her face, her eyes cracked open slightly to acknowledge him before shutting again and falling back asleep. There was a loud crash and he ran outside to see Arachne on the ground and the tree broken next to her; she flashed a smile at him and waved while he just face palmed and flipped her off before walking back in the cave to see Sistine up.

 **"What was that?"** She asked tiredly.

 **"Arachne messing with the tree I told her not to mess with. Go back to sleep."** He said pushing her down.

 **"No, I need to get up and do something."** She sighed and sat up, stretching out her muscles and letting out a breath of relief; her feet made contact with the warm cave ground and she curled her toes before standing up and walking out of the cave. Both saw everyone building their huts and flashed a smile before Sistine saw the children playing by the lake and decided to go watch them while he helped everyone build their huts or fetch supplies. Arachne walked over with a smile on her face and leaned next to his ear as Michelle walked over also.

 **"So why did you let us live here, not that I'm complaining or anything."** Michelle said.

 **"At first I wasn't but Sistine convinced me otherwise, you should thank her for that."** Ares replied.

 **"Well shit, glad she did. Where is she?"** Michelle asked.

 **"Near the lake and tell Ken to stop going under and collecting crabs, they're going to pinch him one of these days."** He said, to which she nodded and walked towards the shore where everybody was at. The cracking of bones could be heard as he twisted his back and stretched out his muscles before going out into the forest to collect the necessary materials for everyone's new homes.

* * *

Weeks had begun to carry on as everyone finally got settled in their homes and needless to say, the whole territory seemed like home. Mathias had a little shack that blocked out most of the outside climate while remaining warm and cozy on the inside. It had a little funnel that acted like a miniature river inside and supplied him with cool drinking water. There were seats that had a fine wood finish and animal fur covering them for when the children came to learn for the day while the adults did their activities. Michelle's hut was the same as Mathias' but had some key differences, it was slightly taller and had a little hammock area for Mimi to sleep in while she slept on the bottom. There was a little window that had a small piece of clear substance to act as a window and keep everything else out. Arachne's was more of a tree house more than anything since she managed to put the tree back together with her webbing and made a sort of nest that suited her fine, it kept the outside climates out while keeping the inside insulated.

Everybody had certain jobs that they were content with and were pretty good at it. Ares lead the hunting party and went out to search for the necessary supplies when someone needed something, Arachne made the clothes along with Michelle, Mathias taught the children while acting as an adviser towards them, and Sistine watched them when nobody else would. Despite the past few weeks being peaceful and calm, there was a matter that mostly concerned Ares. Sistine's health. As of right now she was in the cave lying down on the bed and feeling nauseous, but then her attitude quickly shifts and she craves for food more than anything, prompting him to go and get her meat to eat. A few hours later she was stating that her chest was sore and he didn't know what to do about it since she usually brushed him off and wanted to be left alone for the rest of the night, something he would grant her. While she was in the cave, he was outside with the others sitting around the fire.

 **"I don't know what to do, one minute she's fine then the next her mood changes in the span of a few seconds. Not to mention she's been hungry more often and is eating us out of food."** Ares sighed which made the others glance at each other then at him.

 **"I would usually come up with some witty remark but I got nothing."** Arachne shrugged.

 **"Me neither."** Michelle agreed as she leaned back and looked at the stars.

 **"I might know what's going on but I'll need to confirm it in the morning, I'm quite tired."** Mathias said.

 **"Alright. Make sure to put the fire out before you three go to bed, don't want any Grimm to catch our location."** He yawned and walked back towards the cave to turn in for the night. Each one shot a glance at each other and shrugged their shoulders before going to their collective huts for the night, waiting for the morning to come and bring upon the next day.

It came at a slow comfortable pace with a crisp warm feeling that masked the air. The birds chirped as the sun peeked over the horizon as the flowers opened up to catch as much sunlight as they could, it truly was a good day to watch the sunrise. Mathias was already up for the day as he walked around the lake a couple of times and listened to the wildlife start to wake up for the day, filling him with peace. As he was walking he began to think about the previous two months before he arrived here; they had been stressful and eventful, to the point where he didn't even know if he could handle it anymore. The headmaster went back on his deal and sent his drones more, teams had even threatened them to join them, and finally Brock had decided to leave and go to that hunter school to be with a woman who suddenly jumped in his life. Leaving him alone to tend to the children more than his body could handle. Granted, he could still keep up with them for a while but not as long as he used to be able to. But here at this place he could finally relax and be at peace, at least somewhat.

 **"Mathias."** He heard Ares call from behind and turned to see him in his usual hunting gear but without the bone armor.

 **"Ah, Ares. What can I do for you?"** He asked, leaning on the stick slightly.

 **"Just coming to see if you're awake."** Ares answered.

 **"Yeah, just walking around the lake for a minute."** Mathias answered.

 **"You mind if you come check on Sistine?"** Ares asked.

 **"Not at all, just... just let me get my bearings."** Mathias said and closed his eyes for a second before letting out a sigh.

 **"You alright?"** Ares asked with a raised eyebrow.

 **"Bah I'm fine. A little sore from my age but otherwise fine."** Mathias waved and began to walk with Ares towards the cave. No matter how many times he entered this cave he still couldn't help but feel a little envious at the design and wished that he had found this place before but later brushed it off. He walked up to their bed and saw Sistine lying there with a drowsy expression but still waved at him, to which he returned.

 **"So how are you going to check up on her?"** Ares asked, sitting on the bed.

 **"Sending pulses through her system. Don't worry about any damage, it's more of a little x-ray more than anything."** Mathias reassured. Ares nodded and watched as Mathias stared at his hand for a few seconds before it started to steam and his hand suddenly became a reddish color and webbed. A small spark of electricity cackled before his hand vibrated for a second and he started to hover it over Sistine, first he checked her head then her heart and finally... her stomach. He hovered his hand over her chest again and raised an eyebrow before going back over her stomach and noticed something odd. She had two heartbeats.

 **"Oh... oh dear."** Mathias said in an unsure tone.

 **"What?"** Ares asked.

 **"Um... can I talk to you outside?"** Mathias asked.

 **"I guess."** Ares shrugged. Sistine saw them go outside the cave and talk for a minute; she saw Mathias make a gesture and Ares' expression was a mixture of shock and disbelief. He paced around for a minute as Mathias explained something and then stopped when Ares raked his hands across his head nervously. The explanation must have gone on for a few minutes before he stopped when Mathias placed a hand on his shoulder and said something before patting it then walking off with his stick used as support. Ares walked back in the cave and sat on the bed before lying down next to her and pulling her close to him and letting his breath tickle her hair.

 **"What is it?"** She asked tiredly.

 **"We're uh... we're going to be alright."** He just said and held her tightly. She raised an eyebrow and was about to question him but felt his hand rub her stomach and she looked up at him. It took her a minute before she realized what he was implying and her breath hitched, tears welled in her eyes as she thought about it more. She wasn't sad but happy and somewhat anxious about it. What if she wasn't good enough? What if he died one day and she was left alone? What if-

 **"Sistine."** He called. She didn't say anything but just looked up at him. **"I'm not going anywhere, okay? I'll be right here with you when it happens and I'll be there for the rest of our lives."** He reassured and set his forehead against hers while giving a deep rumble. Those always calmed her down.

The moment he called everyone at the bonfire and told them the news they all had different reactions. Arachne burst out laughing, Michelle's expression fell flat and she walked off, Mathias just shrugged, and the children were overjoyed. Poor Sistine had basically turned red and hid her face out of embarrassment while he just set his head against hers. Rei and Ken were bouncing around in glee and decided to celebrate with a series of sounds as they started to make a song from the bones of Grimm and animals. It was pretty impressive and they stated that they had practiced it in their meantime with Arachne. The night was full of celebration and happiness as the news was broken out and there was a huge feast that consisted of bison, deer, and elk. Ares looked at everyone's expressions and cracked a smile at them, this was where he belonged, a place that brought out the wild side of him and was free. He had people like him... he had a family. And nothing was going to rip them from him.

* * *

 **Months later:**

Brock had been enjoying this life to the fullest as he stayed with Yang. Despite the rocky relationship he had with Weiss, it didn't matter since he had his girl. Some part of him was wondering how the group was doing and thought about them often, though those thoughts were pushed down slightly whenever Yang would come around. The headmaster had invited him to join the school if he passed the initiation and he wholeheartedly agreed, on one condition. He got to go roam the forest every weekend and kill whatever he saw as a threat to him. Sometimes the girls would come with him and hang out as he slayed Grimm with them but when he would change back into his original form then that's when things got a little complicated. He would always just go out of the camera range and change back and stay like that for a few hours but would always haul ass back when he was needed back. At times he contemplated if he should return back to the wild but would always be brought back to civilization due to a new interest, in other words he enjoyed human life more rather than the wild life.

"Hey Brock?" Yang said from her bunk.

"Yeah?" He asked back.

"Do you ever miss your dad?" She asked, making the others look at him.

"Yeah I do. It's been almost a year since I've seen him and I wonder if he even forgives me for leaving." He said.

"I'm sure he does, I mean he sent this letter here." Ruby chimed in, pulling out a letter from the desk and handing it to him.

"What the hell? When did this get here?" He asked and opened the letter.

 _"Dear Brock,_

 _If you're reading this then Ares managed to get this to you without another incident (had to practically beg him to bring this to you). To be honest, I'm kind of proud that he didn't have another incident again, he has a lot to lose at this point, specifically five people. Aside from that comment I just wanted to say that I'm proud of you son, not just for getting out of my hair but also following your dreams. I guess I was just a little heartbroken that you wanted to become a hunter after what they did to us on Shear but if that's what you want then I can't do anything but support you. That's all for now but please visit sometime, we all miss you. Except Ares, he doesn't care at this point if you visit so long as there aren't anymore incidents in the future._

 _Your father, Mathias"_ His grip on the letter tightened as he stared at it for a minute, long enough for the girls to throw him concerned glances.

"Are you alright?" Blake asked.

"Yeah... just a little shocked that's all." He said as he wiped a tear away. He folded the folder up and pocketed it before sitting in front of Blake's bed and picking up something.

"So what'd the letter say?" Yang asked.

"It uh... it said that dad was proud of me and that Ares had dropped the letter off." He said. Each one of them had different reactions; Ruby shrunk down a bit, Weiss' eyes turned cold, Blake just shot a curious glance, and Yang's demeanor turned a bit agitated.

"Why are you telling us this?" Weiss asked with a huff.

"Dad said that he has more to lose at this point, specifically five people. Whatever that means." He shrugged. Blake thought about it for a second and pondered what he meant by four people. As far as she knew, Rei and Ken were two of the most important people and not to mention Sistine, and frost made the fourth but who was the fifth person? she shook her head and opened her book to read a few chapters before they decided to head into town.

"So where are we heading." Ruby asked.

"Oh um... it was kind of just going to be Brock and I." Yang laughed sheepishly while rubbing the back of her neck. Ruby blinked in surprise and started to laugh sheepishly as well.

"Oh well then. Have fun." She threw a thumbs up and gave a forced smile.

"Sorry Rubes, I'll hang out with you next time." Yang smiled and exited the room with Brock.

"Okay... see you later I guess." Ruby sighed and sat down on her bed, picking up a magazine and reading it. Blake and Weiss saw her state and threw concerned glances at each other.

"Are you okay Ruby?" Blake asked.

"Yeah I'm fine." She waved.

"You're not fine Ruby. You're starting to avert your gaze, tell us what's wrong." Weiss said.

"I just wanted to hang out with Yang. But ever since she started dating Brock, she blows me off now. I mean, just the other day when she was completely free she made up some excuse to go hang out with him." She sighed.

"Ruby this is the first guy Yang's ever probably had, maybe she just doesn't know how to juggle family and relationships yet." Blake reasoned.

"You sure?" Ruby asked.

"Positive, just give it time." Blake nodded. Ruby didn't look too sure and just sighed deeply before giving a nod and turning back to her magazine. All three of them sat in silence for a while before their scrolls buzzed and they checked to see a mission pop up; they were about to call Yang but then received a text saying her and Brock had already gotten it. The door opened and Brock and Yang entered while looking at their scrolls before they acknowledged the three.

"So um, yeah." He said uncomfortably.

"Yep." Ruby said and the room was basked in silence.

"So how are we supposed to deliver this to Ares?" Yang asked, holding up a black package.

"I suppose we could ask Ozpin for a ride." Weiss said heatedly, already feeling the anger filling her system.

" _Or._ I could just roll us to the keep and we go from there." He offered, making each one of them raise an eyebrow.

"You can do that?" Blake asked.

"Yep, though we should take a bullhead to a drop off point then I can roll us there." He explained.

"But I thought you all moved?" Ruby asked.

"Oh right, then I don't know where to go other than the keep." He sighed.

"They didn't tell you?" Yang asked.

"No, I announced I was staying here from now on so I guess they never bothered." He answered. All of them pondered for a minute before a knock on the door was heard and Ruby opened it to see Arachne standing there, slightly winded.

"Arachne? When did you get here?" He asked. She held up a finger and placed her hands on her knees to take a breather for a second before she finally addressed him.

"Holy shit... that was exhausting." She breathed.

"What happened to you?" Weiss asked.

"Ares threw me a portion of the way here and I ran the rest." Arachne breathed heavily.

"Really?" Blake asked.

"Yep... phew shit. Anyways, Everyone wants to see you with the exception of Ares." Arachne said to Brock.

"When?" He asked.

"I'm guessing today since he sent me here and everyone else wants to see you." She said.

"Perfect, we have a mission that's related to Ares." He chimed which made her narrow her eyes at him.

"What's it about?" She asked, making him shiver as her eyes bore into his soul.

"We have to deliver this package to him." He shuddered.

"And do any of you have any idea as to what's inside?" She asked. Each one of them shook their heads and she swiped the box from his hands and shook it.

"Hey!" Weiss yelled.

"Stuff it ice queen." Arachne piped as she listened to it's contents and raised an eyebrow. She sliced into the box and pulled something out of it and held it up for everyone to see.

"What the hell is that?" Brock asked as he stared at the contraption.

"It's a music box... who the hell in their right mind would give Ares a music box?" Arachne asked. She picked up the box and looked for a tag but didn't see anything at first until she saw a little slip of paper that was barely noticeable.

"Who's it from?" Blake asked.

"Uhhhhhhhh..." Arachne drawled as she stared at the tag a bit longer.

"Welp Brock, I guess you can deliver this to him. I need some air." She said quickly and carefully but quickly handed him the box and left. He stared at the music box and then picked up the tag that Arachne had dropped before she had suddenly disappeared.

"Who's it from?" Ruby asked.

"Holy shit..." He muttered.

"What?" Yang asked.

"This is from his mother." He answered. Everyone's string of thought process suddenly snapped when they heard that. This was possibly the first thing they've seen that is related to his parents and for some reason it felt sacred, like it was something from beyond. It was made out of pure silver and the edges had little knobs for tweaking, but upon closer inspection they were actually clamps to open it. He rotated the box carefully and saw a little message carefully carved into the bottom gracefully.

 _"For my little monsters that are my soul. You've kept me safe from the others while I've loved you as if I were you're real mother. I helped you grow while you shown me something better than the cold. Time passes faster as your family is kept from disaster. You are my little monsters as I am your human mother."_ The poem read. Brock's eyes widened as he finished the poem out loud and was shocked into silence, something the girls didn't understand at the moment.

"Brock?" Yang asked.

"His mother is a human." He said distantly.

* * *

 **AN: Sorry I haven't been updating this story as often as the others, I've been busy with school and work so there's that. This chapter is not going to be the best and I already know that some of you are going to complain about it so save your time and my time and just politely leave if you don't like the direction this story is going, I never said it would be the best. Anyways, a little more depth into what's happening with Sistine and a little foreshadowing about the future of Ares' past. Next chapter will be out probably in the next two or three weeks so fret not, I'm not abandoning this story for the other two. Anyways, take care, you all remember the golden rule about reviews, and take it easy.**


	14. Chapter 14: But the fall of one of us

**AN: Holy shit, this took so long and I have a good reason. I got fucking lazy. Now I know what you're saying, "What the fuck is this chapter? Why did it turn out like this?". Well because I have a plan and I needed a sort of situation to go off of, I didn't just want this to be just about their everyday life. Fuck that. One, that would be too fucking boring in my opinion; two, I'm pretty sure you all would be bored of that real quick, and three... I didn't want to. So if this chapter doesn't suit your needs, then I don't know what to tell you. Deal with it and don't try to discourage me from writing this path. Without further adieu... Let's roll on with the fucking story!**

* * *

The air was quiet and warm but the cave felt cold and empty. Not because of the weather but because of the dead feel that basked the entire cave. A small whimper came from in front of Ares and he looked down to see Sistine clutching her stomach and crying quietly. He tightened his grip on her and nibbled the back of her neck while giving small purrs but didn't seem to pick up her mood.

 **"Sistine..."** He whispered quietly. She sniffled and shuffled around to look at him with tears in her eyes, making him sigh and bring her forehead to his chest.

 **"Why? Why did he have to be taken from us?"** She cried and tightly gripped him as he hugged her tighter.

 **"I don't know... I'm sorry."** He apologized. She had been like this for the past two months, ever since the incident happened. It wasn't uncommon for her to wake up in the middle of the night and sob her heart out, usually it was him to calm her down and bring her back to bed. Sometimes it was Rei and Ken who would calm her down and occasions it was Frost who would bring her back. It was beginning to show as of now, at first it was the simple not eating or sleeping but eventually she shut everyone off and hid in the cave for the most of the time.

 **"Ares, Sistine? C-can I sleep with you guys tonight? I had a nightmare."** Frost said timidly. Ares looked ready to say no but looked at Sistine and saw her open her arms out, inviting the young girl. She quickly scampered up to the bed and got in between them, holding onto Sistine as she held the young girl tightly. He saw Sistine's face morph from pure sadness to slight content, Frost seemed to have a positive effect on the older monster, something she needed desperately. As long as Sistine was content enough for now, he really didn't seem to mind if Frost was sleeping between them.

 **"Sistine? When are we going to go to the lake tomorrow?"** She asked.

 **"In the afternoon sweetie."** Sistine replied.

 **"Are you going to come with us?"** Frost asked.

 **"I... I'll try."** Sistine replied.

 **"You promise?"** Frost asked.

 **"Yeah."** Sistine said.

 **"...Okay."** Frost yawned and fell asleep. Ares sighed and looked to see Sistine stroking the young Goliath's hair gently while having her eyes closed, letting out tiny noises that betrayed her usual happy attitude. He reached over and gave a small kiss to her forehead and brought them close to him, giving a gentle purr to lull Sistine to sleep and later falling asleep later.

They didn't see an odd Grimm enter the cave and stare at them, it floated over to the bed and raised one of its tentacles and brushed the side of his face for a minute then floated over to Sistine and hovered over her. It lowered itself near her body and brushed another tentacle over her stomach but quickly retracted it when she held her stomach and let a few tears fall. Backing up a few feet while letting out a warbling noise, it later exited the cave but not before letting out a squeal in surprise when Ares suddenly pounced on it.

It may have seemed like he was sleeping, he wasn't. The moment he felt the tentacle brush against his face he waited until it was exiting the cave. He bit one of its many tentacles and ripped it off before forcing it to the ground, dodging one of them when it sent a barb towards him. His snarling seemed to wake the others and they immediately saw him hold a Grimm down, but had one of the barbs aimed at his skull, as if warning him to stay away. A throwing shard was batted away from its jellyfish like body and it aimed another barb at Frost when she came up from behind. The air around them was silent while they all were at a standstill, Ares glaring at the threat in his home and the Grimm keeping itself from being torn apart. As time passed and the Grimm remained still at the ready, Rei and Ken stared at it intently before slowly marching up, whining when Sistine shielded them away from the barbs. Eventually she slowly walked over to Frost and grabbed her hand, leading her to the back of the cave where they kept an eye on.

 **"What's it doing in the cave?"** Sistine asked.

 **"I don't know and I don't care."** He answered, growling when it flexed a barbed at him. It hovered a bit and reached inside itself, fishing around for a minute before pulling something out. His eyes widened when he saw a familiar object in its tentacle and quickly ripped it from its grasp.

 **"Ares, that's..."** Sistine stared at the object.

 **"Where did you get this?"** He asked the Grimm. **"Where the fuck did you get this?!"** He roared while tearing into the Grimm's body slightly. It squealed a bit in pain and started to thrash around a bit, accidentally cutting his face slightly. The pain wasn't immediate but it did hurt the over time and he started to growl louder when the Grimm didn't respond. He let go of it as the pain started to hurt more and made him clutch his face, glaring when the Grimm quickly hovered out of the cave.

 **"Arachne!"** He roared, snarling as the cut on his forehead began to sear in pain. In the span of a few seconds the spider monster was standing in front, her gaze focusing in on his wound.

 **"What the hell happened?"** She asked as she rushed up to him.

 **"Find that Grimm!"** He snarled, scrunching his eyes in pain. She looked at the others and nodded before quickly rushing out and jumping into the trees, following the Grimm. The others quickly rushed to him and looked at his forehead to see his forehead bleeding while he clutched it tightly. Sistine tried to move his hand but he batted it away and growled at her.

 **"Stop and let me see it."** She said. It took a minute but eventually he removed his hand and they saw the extent of his damage; the cut itself was deep and if they looked deeply enough they could see part of his skull exposed. She quickly rushed to the side of the bed and grabbed a piece of cotton before pressing it against his head, frowning when the blood just soaked it completely, making him growl louder. A few minutes went by and eventually the blood stopped flowing and his face began to relax then scrunch up as he concentrated and black sludge seeped out with steam coming out. The sludge hardened a bit and cracked off his head and just left a diagonal scar from his forehead to the right side of his ear. As the pain subsided and his breathing slowed down, Sistine finally led him to the bed and sat him down.

 **"Ares, lie down."** She instructed.

 **"Why?"** He asked.

 **"You just got injured and you're stressed."** She said.

 **"I'm fine..."** He said, scrunching his eyes in pain when she lightly pushed him down.

 **"Shhhhh."** She shushed and finally got him to lie down on the bed. After a while of shushing she finally got him to sleep while she just sat there looking at him, a sigh escaped her lips as she lied down next to him. She closed her eyes and was about to fall asleep but felt the children curl around her and start to snore softly while she breathed contently and kissed each of their foreheads softly.

 **"Oh, my little monsters."** She whispered softly and held them tightly while keeping a close eye on the cave entrance.

* * *

Arachne came back the next morning with cuts and bruises on her body but otherwise okay, she had said the Grimm put up a fight but otherwise fell easily. All of them sat near the large fire pit discussing what to do about another breach in their home, the children voted to keep watch but was quickly shot down when Ares denied it and the idea of moving to a safer location was out of the question. He rubbed his forehead and closed his eyes for a second before turning to Arachne when he remembered something.

 **"When is Brock supposed to be here?"** He asked.

 **"This afternoon. He should be at the keep."** She said, conjuring up a web ball and tossing it up in the air before catching it and repeating the process.

 **"I'm going to go get him."** He said as he stood up and stretched.

 **"What are the rest of us supposed to do?"** Michelle asked.

 **"I want you to keep an eye on Sistine. Make sure she's eating, not doing anything stupid, hell even try to talk to her. Prove to me that you can be reliable when I need you to be."** He answered.

 **"I'm not reliable enough for you?"** She asked.

 **"Not after what happened at that hunter school."** He said making her mouth clamp shut and her form shrink in on itself. He knew that still was a touchy topic with them but he still used it as something to shame her for her actions, and it seemed she regretted saying those words to him ever since.

 **"I'll do it."** She said quietly.

 **"Go then."** He nodded and watched as she stood up quietly and went to the cave before he turned to the rest of them. **"I'll be back in a few hours, try not to drive the adults crazy kids. We'll go hunting if you don't."** He added, making them give thumbs up and smile as he shook his head and began to walk towards the keep. As the seconds turned to minutes and the minutes turned to tens of minutes, he eventually got bored of walking in his hybrid form, scrunching down and concentrating his body mass until it eventually started to bubble and steam. The bubbles of skin burst open and left flabby strands of flesh as a black sludge seeped out of the open wound, the sludge started to cover the ground around him then started to pile up on his body, burning away his skin and then eventually covered his entire form. It formed a large cocoon that started to grow in size and his monstrous form could barely be seen inside as it swam around in the jelly-like fluid until it grew and grew to the point where it couldn't grow anymore. His spikes gouged a hole in the top of it and he arched his back up to tear the hole bigger until the cocoon fell to the ground with a wet slap. A loud groan-like roar escaped his maw as a plume of smoke shot out of his nostrils before he sniffed around and headed in the direction of the keep.

The occasional Grimm tried to challenge his dominance but either fell under his might or cowered away from him when he devoured their Alpha or Major in front of them. His large form lumbered through the forest and he let out a slight growl every once in a while as he walked, taking in the beauty of the wild around him. The trip came to an end after two hours of walking and he saw Brock standing there with the girls him, making him scowl and the fire in his throat burn hotly. The girls whipped their head towards the trees as they heard cracking and shifting of the branches as the forest seemed to move on its own. All of them backed up and drew their weapons when they saw the hulking figure from the previous year come through the trees and stand tall. Its skin a mixture of red and black in a tiger style pattern, a burning red maw that reeked with the scent of a burning forest, massive spikes and barbed tail, razor sharp teeth, and finally deep red glowing eyes that seemed to pierce their souls.

"That's the thing from the previous year! We need to call Ozpin!" Ruby exclaimed and raised her scroll but jumped when Brock was suddenly in front of her.

"No!" He shouted.

"Why!? That thing will kill us if we don't attack." She replied.

"No! It'll only attack if we provoke it!" He said and watched as she slowly lowered her scroll but keep an eye on the beast in front of them. As she stared she couldn't help but shrink underneath its gaze and shy towards Yang like she used to when she was a kid. Weiss and Blake kept an eye on the monster in front of them while bouncing on their feet, as if they were expecting a fight. Brock took a step forward but stopped when Yang gripped his hand but he gently took his from her's and sent her a reassuring look then turned to Ares.

 **"Ares, it's uh... been a minute."** He laughed sheepishly, only receiving a flat stare in return.

 **"Brock, I'm not in the mood."** Ares said flatly.

 **"Sheesh, could have said hi first."** He mumbled.

 **"I just said I'm not in the mood. Arachne told me yesterday that you were coming to visit the others. So get on and catch up with them for a minute or leave and I can just tell them this was a big waste of time."** Ares said in the same tone.

 **"Jeez man, you're a lot more to the point than before."** Brock said as he jumped slightly when Ares narrowed his eyes and sent a low growl, barking at Blake when she tried to move to the side.

 **"I see I'm wasting my time. Goodbye Brock."** Ares deadpanned as he turned and began to walk away.

 **"Ares wait! I'm coming with you!"** Brock exclaimed as he jumped on Ares' tail and began to climb his shoulder, he caught himself when Ares suddenly stopped when he felt something climb on his tail also, sitting on the ground and quickly maneuver his tail up to his face to see the girls holding on also. Ruby flashed a nervous smile and laughed sheepishly as she stared at his flat face while the others did the same.

 **"Tell them to get off or they're not going home."** Ares said calmly as Brock looked at him.

"Girls... you guys need to get off. I'm not going to lie to you when I say he's not in the mood." He said slowly. After some reluctance they slid off one by one except Yang as she kept her grip on tight, not backing down when Ares brought his tail closer to his face and stared at her while she did the same.

"You're not going anywhere with Brock without me and the girls." She declared evenly while Brock gripped his hair and ground his teeth together nervously. If there was one thing that Yang had bad it was her tenacious attitude, never knowing when to call a situation quits until it was too late. It was why she had stuck to him like white on rice to be honest.

 **"Then you're not going anywhere Brock. No monsters, no home."** Ares said.

"Yang, he's not letting me go home if you don't let go." Brock said.

"What? How the hell is that fair?! Stop being such an ass and just let us come with Brock!" She yelled at Ares while his face remained impassive before he calmly set his tail down and took Brock off his back also. He said nothing and crouched down to hide his tracks before walking into the brush silently, leaving the others baffled and confused before Brock slammed his hands on the ground and sent a rock wall in front of Ares, who just turned around and sent a stoic look, before staring at the monster ahead of him.

"They're coming with us! Whether you like it or not." He yelled.

 **"Brock you know why I don't want them coming to _my_ home? Because they do nothing but cause problems. I left all those behind when I left the keep with my siblings and Frost. I found and made a home where we could prosper without the problems of civilization yet here you want to come here and bark orders like you own me? Get real Behemoth, this is my home, my house... and when I say somebody isn't welcome, it's usually not without a reason." **Ares explained.

 **"You don't own anything! Dad owns the damn keep and where is he?!"** Brock shouted.

 **"At the cave where I would show you but since you want to be a little hunter's chew toy I don't want to. So I'm going to give you one last chance Brock. Come with me alone and leave your hunters here or leave the damn woods and don't bother coming back."** Ares said as he watched Brock narrow his eyes at him for a minute. The air around them was silent for a few minutes as the two parties stared at one another before Brock let out a slow breath then looked at the girls.

"I know you want to come with me but he's not going to let me see my family if you come. So please, just let me go for a few hours and I'll be back... I promise." He said as he looked at each one of them. They seemed reluctant for a minute before they nodded and watched as he sent a reassuring smile and climbed on Ares' back and gave him a few pats to go but looked back as the girls' figures slowly disappeared with the flora.

* * *

The trip there was silent with the exception of the trees and wildlife making their natural noises. Ares had kept his focus on the road ahead while Brock looked around every so often to take in the beauty of these part of the woods until he caught himself when Ares stopped and began to kneel down.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

 **"I'm changing back because I need to do something."** Ares replied. His transformation back was less painful than his previous one and he ended up finding his clothes tucked away in the body remains, covered in black slime and a disgusting gooey feeling to put back on but that mattered none to him.

"Where are we going?" Brock asked as he saw the little cave that was now their home but they were headed down a little path towards a small creek. There was a little stone bridge that crossed over the creek and they eventually entered a small secluded space that had flowers around it and a few trinkets the children made. They brushed past the flowers and Ares dropped to his knees slowly and leaned forward to set his forehead on a smooth looking rock while whispering something quietly. Brock just remained silent and looked around the area, he noticed how well taken care of this part was compared to the forest around them, he heard a sound like water dropping and looked to see drops of water falling on the ground, thinking it was raining. The sky above was still sunny and he still heard the dripping noise.

"Hey Ares, do you hear tha-" He suddenly stopped when he finally saw where the dripping was coming from... it was coming from Ares. The one monster who would rather roar in defiance at pain than cry was right here before him letting tears fall from his eyes. This scene alone made him uncomfortable.

"Ares... you alright?" He asked.

 **"I'm fine Brock... just go visit the others. I'll be right with you in a minute."** Ares said slowly, but one could hear the slight hiccup in his voice if they listened close enough.

"Are you sure? I can wait-" Brock started.

 **"I'M FINE!"** Ares roared suddenly, scaring a few birds in the distance and Brock also. He saw the Goliath's eyes red and could see tears coming from the corner of his eyes before being harshly wiped away as he glared.

"Alright man... I'll go." Brock said with his hands up as he stepped out of the area carefully as he kept an eye on Ares, who just stood there with his body tense. After he left the area Ares slowly turned back to the smooth stone and placed his hand on it, taking in its features with a hurtful gaze. A smooth obsidian stone with a name carved in it and a small hand print on near the bottom right hand corner while flowers were set near the front of it. His gaze turned towards the name inscribed on the front of it.

 **'Eli'**

 **"Hey there buddy... it's me... daddy. I'm uh... I'm going to bring your mother by tonight so she can talk to you... she hasn't been doing so good since you've... left. But she's getting better..."** He said with pauses every few seconds before he steeled himself to finish. **"Daddy brought a friend to see the others so we'll come by later tonight... we'll always love you."** He finished with a small choke before sitting on his rear and taking a few breaths as he stood up and walked out of the secluded area, casting one last glance at the grave before him then slowly trekking back to the village to see the children climbing on Brock while Mathias and Arachne stood by with a small smile gracing their faces. They saw Ares and were about to say something but backed off when they saw his eyes and the red streaks running from them, casting him a small sympathetic glance before turning back to Brock. He walked into the cave and let his eyes adjust to the lighting before seeing Michelle slowly stroke Sistine's hair while the latter sniffled every so often. She noticed him and was about to stand up to leave but stopped when he just raised a hand.

 **"She cried for the last thirty minutes but calmed down. I fed her some of the stew and let her cry on my shoulder for a minute."** Michelle said.

 **"Alright... thank you."** He said quietly and sat on the bed, bringing Sistine's somber form to his own and closed his eyes while he set his head on her's. Michelle internally scoffed but must have done it outwardly since both Sistine and Ares looked at her, making her face heat up.

 **"I uh... I-I think the others are calling me."** She stuttered and tried to move but found her hand in Ares', then him sitting her down on his right while Sistine was on his left.

 **"Nobody's calling you Michelle. We need to talk."** He said, making her gulp.

 **"If it's about the time I accidentally spilled your guys' tea then I already made it up-"** She stopped when he placed a thumb on her lips, making her eyes trail down to it.

 **"It's about the fact that you're always staring at us at times."** He said. They saw her face turn red and hide them in her hands while trying to shuffle away but was kept in place when Ares just put his hand on her wrist and docked her. It really seemed like she was uncomfortable right now with how much she was shuffling around and the red tint to her face made it clear.

 **"You're not leaving until we get an answer."** He said.

 **"I-it's nothing really. I just like to observe, you know?"** She asked sheepishly.

 **"Michelle, please don't lie to us."** Sistine sighed, making the other Goliath go quiet for a while.

 **"I'm uh... I'm lonely alright?"** She murmured.

 **"How?"** Sistine asked.

 **"Everywhere I go, somebody has someone else. You have Ares, Brock has that blonde hunter, Mathias had someone in his past, and the children are already showing signs of affection... who do I have?"** Michelle asked.

 **"You have Ares."** Sistine said, making Michelle blink a few times while Ares just looked at the former in confusion.

 **"H-He's not interested in me. I mean who am I besides that Goliath female with anger problems?"** She asked.

 **"You're a Goliath that is in need of a mate. It's not uncommon for monsters to seek out mates who are already taken, I've had to ward off multiple ones in the past from trying to take him from me."** Sistine said.

 **"Really?"** Michelle asked.

 **"Unfortunately yes. She's managed to always ward off many females from claiming me, saying none of them were worthy. If my mother hadn't made a defiant first impression then I wouldn't have one."** He sighed.

 **"How'd she do that?"** She asked.

 **"She uh... flicked me on the snout and glared at me with a stare so fierce it made me want to hide."** Sistine laughed sheepishly.

 **"So... I'm worthy?"** Michelle scratched her head, blinking in surprise when Sistine was in her face and with narrowed eyes.

 **"Not even close. If you want him then you'll have to prove it to me, I don't want my male just taking anyone in."** Sistine said. Michelle blinked at the other female's sudden shift in character, when she first met the monster she had initially thought she was a nervous mess but now it seemed that was just a mask for a stern and controlling female. She yelped in surprise when Sistine uncovered her shoulder and suddenly bit down on it, drawing a little bit of blood and making a mark.

 **"There, now you have my mark. You'll get the one from Ares when you prove to me that you're worthy, and trust me when I say this. It's very hard to please me~"** Sistine blew in Michelle's ear. Ares watched in amusement as the angry female meteor Goliath went from defiant to a shy mess with a red face. It was true what Sistine said about being hard to please, many have tried to court her in the past and failed miserably but that's only because they lost interest after realizing the futility of the situation. It may have not seemed like it but both of them saw potential in Michelle, she was just one of those types that wouldn't let something put her down.

 **"That's enough Sistine. Stop toying with her and say what you will."** He said, making her pout.

 **"Fine, there's three things I need you to do in order to prove yourself to me. First, watch the children for a day. Second, grab a meal big enough to feed all of us. The third will come once you've completed those two."** She said.

 **"What's the third?"** Michelle asked.

 **"Think of it as... a treat if you will. Complete those two and I'll decide what that treat should be."** Sistine said, tapping Michelle's forehead with a claw. Unlike Arachne doing it, Sistine's touch was gentle with a slight tease to it, but she was hiding something behind it all.

 **"How soon will that be?"** Michelle asked.

 **"Such a curious one. I wonder how you'll be when you receive your treat, I can just imagine. Ares do you think she'll be enough or should we get Arachne in on this too?"** Sistine turned to him while tilting her head. He could only give a small predatory smirk at her sudden shift from somber to mischievous, it seems that she was recovering at a good pace.

 **"I think she's enough, do these tasks and we'll see."** He said. She nodded and shuffled out of the cave with a red face while Sistine just sat on the bed with her head on his shoulder, before her face morphed into sadness once again. Judging by the sound of crickets beginning to start, it was almost time for them to visit the grave, after all... it had been almost three months. Her mood dipped down and he let out a gentle breath into her hair while lying down on the bed with her for a minute until she fell asleep and he slowly got up to exit the cave. It seemed an hour had gone by since Brock was entertaining the children with his stories while Mathias and Arachne watched by closely, the former's face flat. He walked over to the log and sat on it while watching Brock just continue with his stories.

 **"You seem unhappy Mathias."** Ares commented.

 **"I am. My son comes back and barely says a proper greeting before rambling on about how being a huntsman is so grand. If I knew he was going to do all this then I would have just kept him at that school."** Mathias said flatly.

 **"Come on old man, you can't always be this grouchy."** Arachne grinned while leaning on his shoulder, only to fall when he stepped out from underneath her and tripped her.

 **"I can and I will. If Brock needs anything then he can come find me. I'll be sure to set some flowers on Eli's grave Ares."** He patted Ares' shoulder and walked towards his hut. She saw Ares' face fall as he stared at the happy mass of laughing children, all of them enjoying Brock's company. Her hand found a place on his shoulder as he shook his head a few times then slowly took her hand off his shoulder and looked at her. He began to walk towards the woods and just about reached the entrance until he felt two hands on his. Looking down to his sides, he saw Ken and Rei holding his hands while sending smiles at him, picking his mood up slightly. A small mass jumped on his back and he turned to see Frost smiling at him also.

 **"What are you three doing?"** He asked.

 **"We want to go with you. It's been a while since we've actually spent time together."** Rei said.

 **"I'm just going for a walk."** He replied.

 **"Doesn't matter, we're coming with. I don't want to listen to Brock's stories, most of them are about his little times with that blonde bitch."** Ken cursed.

 **"Watch your fucking language."** Ares warned.

 **"Sorry, but I don't want to spend the next few hours listening to his stories."** Ken replied.

 **"... Alright. Come on."** He said and put Rei on his shoulders while Ken jumped on his back also; they began to explore the woods in a comfortable silence-like state. Not a single one decided to disrupt the beauty mother nature brought upon them, it was a nice contrast as opposed to the always hectic environment near the cave. Minutes eventually turned to tens of minutes, which then turned to a couple of hours as they just explored the area in peace. Frost sprung off his back on one occasion to catch a raccoon and turn it into bones for later while Ken used his wings to climb up on a branch then scale the tree quickly while Rei sat near a rock and played with the insects that lived underneath the cool stone and into the damp soil. While they played with nature, Ares just sat on a nearby rock with a hand over his face, thinking about how he was going to get Sistine by. She had taken it worse than he had and it was beginning to take a toll on her, not to mention the fact that she suddenly wanted to include Michelle in their activities. Now don't get him wrong, Michelle was a wonderful monster when she didn't have a stick up her ass but... he didn't know how he felt about the whole situation.

The rock underneath him suddenly shifted and he widened his eyes before suddenly jumping back and grabbing the little ones then jumped back further to see a massive Deathstalker slowly rise from the ground. It turned its body just to see the bushes move and peered closer at it, before shrieking in pain when a stone shard embedded itself in one of its eyes. A few minutes of thrashing around and the shard finally came out and it looked around in fury for a minute before spotting the three twirling a set of slings in their hands before letting them go and stones fly towards its face. It stopped and blinked its many eyes before pinching its pincers a them, not a single one of them moved and just sent innocent smiles at it before laughing when a shadow engulfed its figure. A bone crushing weight slammed against its carapace and cracked it, making it squeal in pain and thrust its stinger at the attacker. Ares moved out of the way of the stinger and smashed his own tail against it and pinned it to the ground. The Deathstalker felt him slam his fists against its back repeatedly and started to flail around wildly in order to hit him but he gripped its tail and began to spin, avoiding the three who were just watching him fight the massive Grimm. It soared through the air and smashed against a mountain, taking a large part of it as it skidded across the ground, it flailed around some more before it felt an even more painful sensation rock its form. He jumped high into the air and smashed both his fists against its soft underbelly and started to dig his claws and rip out its insides, staining the ground a mixture of black and red.

It was barely alive at this point but that didn't stop Ares from sinking his maw into it and begin to feast on its body. Massive amounts of flesh slid down his throat and blood caked his face as he continued to feast on it, only stopping to rip off its stinger and throw it to the side when it tried to stab him, then continued to eat again. After a minute of mutilating its body it finally died and began to disappear, making him blow out a plume of smoke and roar loudly. It echoed for miles and scared some birds from the trees and even made some of the Grimm cower a bit. They knew that these were his parts and even attempting to enter his territory was considered suicide, he was the true alpha of these parts. The three cheered at his victory and waited a second before he lowered his massive form to the ground and let them climb on his neck before rising up again. They just barely went past the trees and could see Beacon in the distance, only it was a tiny dot instead; a sour thought came to their minds when they thought about that place, just nothing but bad memories now.

 **"Hey Ares, when are we going to be able to evolve?"** Rei asked.

 **"When you come of age. Most likely at thirteen."** He answered, making them pout.

 **"That's dumb."** Ken commented.

 **"That's life. But it's about that time I take Brock back, so be good until then."** He said as they began to head back to the cave. His body was low to the ground when he saw a drone in the sky then suddenly sprang up and crushed it with his hand when its lens turned away from him. It was thrown miles away and he snarled at the thought of hunters trying to invade his home, they would probably fall faster than the ones on Shear or make them go extinct. Yet, these inhabitants have never seen a monster in real life so the odds would be in his favor. A sigh escaped his lips. He just wanted his family to be left alone, they do nothing wrong and humans always seem to bring destruction wherever they go.

 _'I hope Brock doesn't turn out like them.'_ He thought, then later brushed it off because he was an exception. Monsters are meant to be violent, it's in their nature.

* * *

The girls had been waiting for a few hours now, almost six to be exact. While the forest was beautiful right now, they couldn't help but feel uneasy. Not once had they seen a Grimm or even heard the sound of one, just a terrible roar in the distance and a few birds being scared away from the sudden noise. Ruby was bored beyond her mind, Weiss was trying to do something on her scroll, Blake was just reading a book to pass the time, and Yang paced around worrying about Brock.

"Seriously, where is he?" She asked.

"Probably visiting his dad, he discussed this a when Arachne arrived. Weren't you listening Yang?" Blake asked.

"I was but he's been gone for more than six hours." She exclaimed.

"He's going to be gone a lot longer than six hours when he graduates. That's part of being a huntress, and like Blake said, he's visiting his dad and the rest of his family." Weiss said.

"But why couldn't we come along?" Yang asked.

"Maybe because that giant monster from the previous year showed up and took him to where his family is, which implies that it knows where they are." Ruby said.

"Okay... but do any of you know how it has ties with that monster. I mean he said it was Ares but he disappeared along with it then we found him here." Yang said.

"Why are we talking about that ruffian? If he is the monster then I want nothing to do with him, he tore Neptune's arm off." Weiss scowled. The girls could only turn their heads when they thought about Neptune, the poor boy almost had to give up his dream as a huntsman had Weiss not bought him that prosthetic arm and paid for his spinal surgery; what made matters worse was when he frequently had nightmares about that night. They turned to the sound of branches breaking and could see Brock step out with Ares close behind in his hybrid form. Yang was quick to go up to him and give him a hug while she just sent a distrustful glance at Ares as he sent a flat one back. He turned when the two kissed and let out a little scoff when they went into that stereotypical couple mode, saying how much they love one another. Disgusting. Not even him and Sistine were like that around the others, only nuzzles were allowed in front of them.

"Oh, that reminds me." Brock snapped his fingers as he went to his pouch and grabbed the music box. "I never knew your mother was a human." He commented. Everything seemed to come to a halt after he said that, no crickets, no wind swaying the leaves, even the waterfall seemed to make a noise. Ares stared at the music box with a frozen expression while Brock just held it in his hand.

"Um... Ares?" Ruby asked hesitantly. He barely acknowledged her and just slowly walked up to Brock and held his hand out, the music box gently dropped in his hand.

"I never knew your mother was a human." Brock repeated.

 **"Yeah, she was... where did you get this?"** Ares asked as he rotated the box.

"We got it from Beacon in a package. Never said who it was from or where." He said.

 **"Thanks..."** Ares said quietly and put the box in his rucksack near his belt, it had been a while since he's seen that box, almost to the point where it escaped his memory.

"So how where you born?" Brock asked, killing his thoughts.

 **"What?"** Ares deadpanned.

"I mean if your father was a monster and your mother was a human, then how the hell were you born?" Brock asked.

 **"She's not my real mother, jackass. And before you ask how they mated they didn't. Both saw the dangers and resorted to pats and nuzzles... thanks for putting my parents mating in my head."** Ares bit sarcastically.

"I mean, you were born somehow." Brock said.

 **"I see why Behemoths aren't the smartest monster around."** Ares deadpanned and began to walk into the brush while Brock just stood there.

"Hey! We're smart when it comes to survival!" He yelled. A middle finger was given in response as the girls stared at the retreating figure. Yang could only stare in contempt at Ares before turning to Brock.

"So? How was it?" She asked, voicing their thoughts.

"Oh, it was good. Dad seemed a little agitated, the children are still curious, Arachne still a complete psycho, Michelle still angry, and Ares..." He trailed off.

"Ares what?" Ruby asked.

"He's hurt. Not physically but on an emotional spectrum." He answered.

"I'm almost curious to ask why." Weiss scoffed.

"He uh... he had a baby." He answered, making them recoil a bit.

"How is that depressing?" Blake asked.

"He lost the kid." He stated. All their hearts suddenly dropped at that news. Yang and Ruby knew the pain of losing a parent since they've lost their mother but for one to lose a child before the parent is a whole level of pain above that. Blake's ear flattened at that and a new wave of pity was felt for the monster, she had seen plenty of parents lose their children before them and saw the outcome of that. Even Weiss felt a twang of sorrow for him, it was only enough to cloud her anger for him.

"How'd he lose them?" Yang asked.

"I don't know. When I asked him about it, he just told me to shut up and don't bring the topic up, I didn't bother bringing it up either because he seemed touchy on it." He sighed.

"Well... I guess we better head back then huh?" Ruby asked trying to pick the mood up again.

"Yeah. C'mon, I'll roll you guys into the camera range." He said. They backed up a few yards and watched in slight awe and disgust as his skin began to bubble and steam before a black sludge covered his form in a cocoon. It grew into the size of a boulder before his form burst out of the cocoon and let out a loud roar before lowering himself down and scooping them in his hands. He tucked his body into a ball and formed a massive magma filled boulder before rolling off into the direction of Beacon. The girls always enjoyed him doing this, it was like being inside a heated bounce house, yet also being constrained by a massive rock formation.

As they took off, they weren't aware of a crow staring at them then tilt its head before cawing and taking off towards the cave.

* * *

When he made it back to the cave it was nighttime, he noticed that Sistine was missing from it and sighed before trekking towards the grave. It took him a few minutes to actually get there but when he did, he saw her sitting sideways while staring at the tombstone. He walked next to her and sat down silently then just let her set her head against his shoulder. They sat in silence for ten minutes before she spoke up, but her voice was laced with sadness.

 **"He should have been given a chance."** She murmured.

 **"... yeah."** He sighed.

 **"What else could we have done?"** She asked.

 **"We couldn't have done anything Sistine. He was sick, we tried everything but he just couldn't get past the illness."** He said quietly.

 **"Maybe we could have-"** She stopped when he cupped her chin to look at him.

 **"Sistine, we can't do anything now. He's gone. It pains me deeply to put it so simply but we can't dwell on the fact that he's gone or we'll lose ourselves."** He said. She didn't seem content with his answer and just muttered something underneath her breath and closed her eyes; both stayed there in silence before he turned to see her asleep and picked her up in a bridal position. The creek in the background soothed his nerves and visibly made him relax as he kept on walking, once he entered the cave he gently set her on the bed and covered her before going out of the cave and into the woods once again. He heard the cawing of a crow and scowled when he caught sight of its beady red eyes just staring at him, this thing annoyed him greatly since it had been following him for the past two weeks without a reason in the world. It cawed in surprise when he sent a stone shard at it and began to fly away, it landed on a branch a mile away then cawed once again in surprise when the said branch snapped in half when he slammed a fist on it. The fucking thing thought it was going to get away from him? It thought wrong.

He didn't know how long he was following the thing but it had to have been a while since he was far from the cave. Somehow they ended up about ten miles from the walls of Vale where it disappeared around a boulder and a man suddenly appeared, taking him by surprise. He reeked of alcohol and was wearing dress clothes with a tattered cape behind him, he reached behind him to grab a flask.

"You're persistent, you know that right?" He asked, sipping his flask for a second and noticed how Ares just stared at him flatly while swaying his tail. It slightly unnerved him to see such a unique faunus just staring at him with those magma-like eyes and a spiky clubbed tail.

"Not much of a talker eh? Good, because I don't really like interruptions. Names Qrow, blah blah blah, all that crap. Point is, Ozpin finds you interesting for some reason and I'm here to bring you to him. I know it's fine, cool, and dandy living wild out here but kid you got children living out here and frankly it's not exactly safe." Qrow said, he noticed how Ares' body tensed up and his muscles glowed then a small feral growl emitted from his throat. He tensed up when Ares drew his obsidian knife and started to write in the dirt then leap back onto a rock and crouch down on all fours, almost as if he was a quadruped.

 _"I've met the old man in the tower. I've been in that school and hated being there. Too many restrictions and I don't have enough freedom. Point is 'Qrow', your opinions about my family being out here means nothing. We're not the hunted when it comes to these parts, we're the hunters and the Grimm know dominance when they sense it. All of them know these are my parts and aren't stupid enough to cross me. All their alphas and Majors know that if they cross me then they risk being devoured. Leave my territory."_ The note read. Qrow raised an eyebrow at this faunus and noticed something different about him, he held no fear of being out here and would rather stay out here than be locked up in a cage, almost as if he were a wild animal.

 _'That explains the recent decline in Grimm this last year.'_ He thought as he stared at Ares.

"I don't really know how you've managed to make the Grimm population decline this last year but I doubt it's by yourself. Even high level huntsmen and huntresses can't do that feat, and what do you mean risk being devoured? You can't eat Grimm." He said.

 **"Hehehe. You humans and faunus really are less intelligent on this planet. Even the hunters of Shear knew an apex predator when they saw one."** Ares chuckled darkly. Qrow could only raise an eyebrow at the sudden series of growls and snarls, it took him a minute but he finally deduced that this was the way he spoke.

"Don't know what you said but I'm going to assume that it's negative. Look, I'm slightly drunk and tired so can we not fight, and Oz just wants you to put those Grimm killing skills to use. You could help a few people." He said, stepping back to watch Ares write another message then frown when he read it.

 _"I don't care about helping people nor do I care what you humans and faunus do. All of you are violent beings who disrupt mother nature with your innovation and invasion. You kill each other over petty squabbles then fuck like nothing happened. But if there's one thing I hate, is you hunters with a burning passion."_ The note read.

"Why? And what do you mean us humans and faunus? You're a faunus." Qrow said, earning a growl. Ares then realized the futility of the situation with talking to this drunk and shook his head before walking back towards the cave, he wanted to go home and be next to Sistine... she needed to know he was there for her. In reality, he just craved for her, her soft skin and soft olive eyes, her beautiful silver hair, and her elegant voice. While he was hardened and mean, she was gentle and sweet. She was the epitome of his significant other.

"Fine, then let me tell Oz about the children. Whatever you think or not, those kids aren't safe. They could get sick out here. Just think what happened to that baby." Qrow said. He was suddenly sent through the air at high speeds before slamming into a rock and sputtering. He coughed harshly and held his chest where the spiked tail made contact. A snarl made him look up before diving to the right when Ares slammed his fist into the boulder and turned it into smaller ones. He picked up one of them and hurled it towards Qrow, who cleaved it in half, then charged him on all fours. Qrow avoided a downward swipe and slashed three times but found all his attacks either blocked or parried. He vaulted over a leg sweep and spiraled over a tail swipe before evening himself out and skidding on the ground. His weapon turned into its shotgun form and let lose a scatter of shells a few feet from Ares, throwing him back and making him drop to his knees, holding the wound. Qrow flicked his weapon back into its sword form and stared at Ares.

"You know what? I've heard about you, the girls described someone extremely similar to your stature and it didn't take me long to figure out who you were. Yang's boyfriend, who's not that bad once you get past the fact that he's a big idiot sometimes, described how he came from the wild and someone like him was even wilder. I don't understand why you can't be more like him, I mean that kid would have gotten proper medical treatment." Qrow said. He jumped back when a poisoned throwing shard slammed against the ground and widened his eyes when Ares' eyes seemed to glow brighter and his chest began to bubble and steam before a black sludge covered the wound and eventually hardened.

"Okay, that's different." He commented. Ares snarled at him before taking into account that this man was trained, he couldn't help but feel contempt when he stared at the drunk in front of him, it was one thing to talk about his current life style... but to talk about Eli? That was the death sentence.

He concentrated the black sludge onto his skin and felt it bubble before hardening and creating a natural armor that covered him, a shotgun blast blew some of it off but otherwise he felt nothing and just stared at Qrow before doing the same process. Both charged one another and began to lay waste to one another, each one of them slashed, smacked, shot, thrown, kicked, punched, and even tried to bite in some cases. Their fighting lasted for several minutes before Qrow slashed Ares' stomach and sent an uppercut to his jaw and threw him back before jumping up and landing above him, with his weapon against his throat and a stern expression on his face.

"You shouldn't have done that kid. I may be drunk but that doesn't mean I can't fight, so listen closely. I'm getting those kids out of that cave because it's clear you can't control what's happening." He said. Ares snarled loudly and placed both hands on the blade before slowly pushing it away from his neck, his hands began to slightly bleed but he paid no mind to the pain, it was something he was used to at this point. His main objective was to make an example of this drunk, this hunter, this intruder that tried to take his family away from him!

 **"GRAHHHHH"** He roared out suddenly and forced the weapon away before slamming his fists on Qrow's forearms, making him stumble, then gripped his head and slammed his own against it. The older man stumbled back before spitting up when Ares slammed his fist into his face and sent him spiraling into a tree, then sent his skull through it and making a large hole in it. He thew Qrow onto the ground then grabbed the trunk and ripped the rest of the tree from the stump, then used it as a bat and smashed Qrow into a boulder. While Qrow shakily stood up he was kicked in the side of the face then hoisted up before being jabbed repeatedly in the stomach and chest before having a straight sent to his nose, making his eyes roll a bit and the boulder behind him dent. Ares then clamped his hand around Qrow's throat and lifted him up in the air effortlessly and glared at him while tightening his grip.

"Go on, do it." Qrow wheezed out, prompting Ares to tighten his grip. This was the first licensed huntsman he's beaten... but why did it seem so easy? He should have lost to this man like how he lost to Yang a year ago. Qrow wheezed out as the oxygen deprivation began to take effect and his face first turned red then started to turn blue. He grunted in pain when Ares began to repeatedly stab his knife into Qrow's stomach, until it pierced it and made him shout. He was thrown to the side and held it to stop the bleeding while Ares just stared at him with a flat expression before walking over to him and kneeling next to him.

 **"This is my territory, hunter. I am the alpha around these parts, and you're nothing but food out here."** He said, there was a sharp stinging feeling in his forearm and he looked down to see a syringe in it before ripping it out with a snarl and throwing it away. He then stood up and began to walk away while smirking at a bleeding Qrow on the ground, there was poison on that knife, not enough to kill but enough to paralyze him for the Grimm to eat; they were animals after all. In a last ditch effort Qrow, reached behind him and threw a small device on one of Ares' spikes as he walked away into the brush, it was actually a small tracking device for Ozpin to track the wild man.

"Need to get this patched up." He winced and turned into his corvid form and flew away but he fell to the ground and turned back before stumbling towards the nearest settlement.

* * *

Everything hurt, his body was in pain and he couldn't do a single thing about it. There were voices and a bright light that blinded him. Eventually his eyes adjusted to the lighting and he looked down to see himself strapped down to a table while two silhouettes had their backs turned to him, one of them turned and jumped when they saw him staring at them. His eyes narrowed dangerously at them as they took cautious steps forward and he recognized one of them. It was a doctor and the nurse, people who he would rather never see again. Ms. Miles looked rather hesitant about the whole situation while the doctor looked calm and kept a steady face.

"Greetings lad, it seems our friend has done his part for Ozpin but didn't take into account that we would pick up the signal also. Granted, that sedative did take a few hours to finally kick in, not to mention the countless hours we spent tracking your signal." He said. Ares just narrowed his eyes in contempt while flexing his fists every so often, this whole situation didn't sit right with him.

"Listen, we don't want to do this Ares but we have our orders. We just need to figure out what makes you do the things you do." Angela said. He put on a questioning face asking what she meant until she looked back up at him.

"We need to figure out how you turn into that creature. If we can do that then maybe we can have a leg up on the Grimm." She answered, making his eyes widen then narrow dangerously at them. They were turning him into a lab rat? This wasn't right, not even by those humans on Shear. While they never experimented on humans and only the local wildlife, they at least knew right from wrong. He began to thrash around wildly as they approached closer and even barked at them, but they still came closer. More people into the room and held him down as more sedatives started to be injected into his body, it took a few minutes but eventually with the amount and the dosage injected it finally began to kick in. His barking and snarls became quiet growls while his thrashing started to become jerky movements. One final injection and his eyelids fell over his eyes and his breathing slowed down, the numerous people let go and exited the room into another that looked like an observation deck.

"Now that he's sedated, we can begin." The doctor said.

"We just need blood right?" She asked.

"Blood, organs, and his brain would be nice." He replied, making her eyes widen.

"You said we only need his blood!" She shouted suddenly.

"Angela, you saw what this boy can do. He can turn into a beast that surpasses the strength of one of the strongest Grimm, just think what we can do with his body." He replied.

"And have him end up like the others? Or have you forgotten how many are still down there?" She retorted.

"The others are still in their prime or growing, but they don't match the condition of the specimen right here." He gestured towards Ares' sleeping form.

"Same thing we can do with the others!" She said.

"Get real, we're already been given the all go by Ironwood. Plus, Ozpin would do anything to get a leg up on the Grimm. I'm sure he would agree." He said.

"Ozpin wouldn't go that far. He may see things in people that we don't see but he would never go as far as experimenting on a boy." She fired back.

"Remember your place. You may be a senior doctor here but I'm your superior and whatever I say, you do. Whatever you find, is mine. Essentially I control you." He said as he towered over her. The air was tense with turmoil as the two stared at one another before she sighed and turned away from him.

"We take his blood for now." She muttered.

"That is fine for now. Next month we take his organs, and in three months we take his brain." He replied.

"...This is sick." She said.

"Sometimes you have to do things for the sake of humanity." He waved.

"But at what cost?" She asked.

"Whatever it is." He replied. A gut wrenching feeling bubbled up in her being, as she stared at the boy. She had known of the risks and the consequences, yet she still continued with the path she was going down. Shame could only be written on her soul each time she glanced at him; she knew that he had siblings to look after and that he was extremely protective of them, yet here her colleagues had taken their family away from them. She shook her head of the negative thoughts and began to take his blood from his arm, doing her best to ignore the pained face he made whenever a large needle embedded in his arm. Eventually, after taking a large amount of blood he was placed on a gurney and rolled into a dark cell before being dumped like a piece of garbage.

A few hours had gone by and he started to shake off the effects of the sedative. His fingers twitched every so often and his senses started to return to him, the first thing he heard was the sound of sniffing and turned to see something by his hand, making him quickly retract it sluggishly. He slowly set his hands underneath him and got up before shaking his head a few times to shake off the effects; once they were gone he finally let his vision focus and let it adjust to the dark cell. He almost jumped in surprise when he saw numerous others staring at him, some with curiosity while others with distrust. His eyes slowly widened when he realized that they were just like him... monsters.

 **"Well look at what we have here. Fresh meat."** He heard someone growl at him and turned to see a corpse-eater Goliath slowly walk towards him. He stopped and looked at Ares with a dangerous gleam in his eyes before circling him methodically while giving the occasional chuckle. **"What brings you here, huh fresh meat?"** He asked.

 **"Fucking hunter drugged me."** Ares said calmly and found a spot in the corner to sit down. The corpse-eater seemed to be unsatisfied with this answer and knelt down to his level and stared at him.

 **"Oh? Didn't know Goliaths could be taken down by drugs. Are we beginning to go soft?"** He teased.

 **"I'm in no mood for games, corpse-eater."** Ares growled.

 **"But I am. Now fight me!"** The corpse-eater said suddenly and grabbed Ares, throwing him into the middle of the large cell. Monsters from other cells went up to the iron door and began to roar and hoot in excitement while shaking the cell bars as the two circled each other on all fours, while the monsters in the cell with the two watched in curiosity and excitement. Both circled one another for a few more seconds before charging at one another and colliding. They began to bite at each other and slash at the other's torso and giving the occasional tail smash. Ares managed to grab the corpse-eater and throw him against the cell door before spitting up when the other Goliath got up faster than he could blink and charged him. He threw Ares against the wall and began to punch him in the stomach and chest repeatedly before he had his fist caught and was then headbutted back. Ares grabbed him by the neck and slammed him against the ground a few times before slashing his face and chest. He was kicked in the stomach and sent back a few feet but caught himself and rolled out of the way when a fist made itself known on the wall behind him. He quickly wrapped his tail around the corpse-eater's neck and squeezed tightly before slamming him against the ground violently and climbing on top of him. Fist began to rain down on the monster below him while his tail trapped the other Goliath's tail. One of his fists was caught but was shaken free and he continued to rain down a barrage of fists on the downed Goliath. Just as he was about to smash the other Goliath's skull into the ground, a blast of cold water threw them to the side and sprayed them unrelentingly, the other monsters backed away when they saw the stream of water. Eventually after tens of seconds, the water stopped and left the two dripping wet while shivering.

"It seems the sedatives aren't strong enough for this one." The doctor said as he dropped the hose before turning to the guards. "Put him in the cell next to the big one, keep him isolated." He ordered. Four massive guards clamped catch poles around Ares' neck and hauled him out of the cell, ignoring the snarls and snaps sent their way from him. The guards led him down the hall for a few minutes until they reached a cell next to a heavily reinforced one, loud snarls could be heard from the inside that made even the guards wary. He was thrown into the cell and had the door locked behind him, as soon as the door closed he slammed his body on it and roared at the guards while gripping the bars tight enough to bend them. They sent him arrogant smirks and laughed before one of them took out his stun baton and shocked the bars, making him fly back into the wall and slide down. Each one of them laughed before heading up the stairs and entering a door.

The hoots and roars of excitement soon died down and all went quiet in the cell block, as he looked around he couldn't help but notice how dirty this place was; unlike the forest, this place just reeked with mustiness. Loose strands of straw was strewn about the place while there were barely any lights to illuminate it, water could be heard dripping from the pipes above. There was a noise to his left and he barely managed to see out of his cell to catch sight of the nurse from Beacon look into the cell block through the door window while having a guilt ridden expression before turning away and shutting off the lights in the office. A deep guttural snarl made him snap his head to his right to see the isolated reinforced cell shaking slightly before a loud pounding noise could be heard and a loud roar echoed throughout the halls. He later saw glowing blue eyes that held no benevolence, only confined fury threatening to level the entire complex with all the monsters resided in. He stepped closer to the edge of his cage and stared at the eyes without fear while they just glared back. For the next few minutes they just stared at one another before the beast in the cage spoke up.

 **"What are you looking at Goliath?"** Judging by the voice, it was a male, snarled.

 **"A confined beast."** He said back.

 **"Well stop fucking staring or I'll rip you apart with my bare hands!"** He snarled.

 **"Not going to happen, not with these bars in between us."** Ares said as he placed his hands on the bars and gave them a shake, seeing that they were durable enough to keep him inside.

 **"It hasn't stopped me from tearing others apart."** The confined one said.

 **"And look where it got you. In a reinforced cage like a lab rat."** Ares said, it seemed that his response triggered a irk in the other monster, as such example when he slammed his body on the door.

 **"I'll kill you for that!"** He snarled.

 **"I meant no ill will."** Ares threw his arms up, putting them down when he saw the monster lessen his grip on the door slot. **"What's your name?"** He asked.

 **"Why do you care, Goliath?"** He snarled.

 **"I want to know the name of the beast who I'm talking to. I'd rather treat you like a monster who deserves to be wild and free than a lab rat."** Ares said. It went quiet for a while before the one in the cage spoke up.

 **"Buck... the behemoth."** He said.

 **"I'm Ares."** Ares introduced.

 **"I never asked for your name."** Buck snapped.

 **"But I'm giving it anyways. So deal with it you big son of a bitch."** Ares snapped back.

 **"Hmph, never met a monster that didn't cower before me."** Buck mumbled.

 **"Because savages don't cower beneath others."** Ares said flatly.

 **"You're a savage?"** Buck questioned while tilting his head.

 **"Yeah..."** Ares said while leaning his head against the bars.

 **"I thought you would be more... angry."** Buck stated.

 **"I usually am. My brother and sister would keep me calm enough to get shit done and be loving towards them but... Sistine..."** Ares mumbled.

 **"Who?"** Buck questioned.

 **"Sistine. She's my... everything. The love of my life, my mate, she's basically my significant other. She's the one, aside from the rest of my family, who gives me a reason to keep living. To keep living out in the wild and enjoy it."** Ares said, lifting his left hand to see a little ribbon she made for him.

 **"Huh, never would I have thought one of the most feared kind of monster would have a love life. It almost makes me sick."** Buck snickered.

 **"Maybe because you don't have anyone in this hellhole."** Ares snapped back.

 **"Well, it's either be rude and live or be nice and die."** Buck said.

 **"Huh, you're smarter than the other Behemoth I know."** Ares said back.

 **"What's his name?"** Buck questioned.

 **"Brock."** Ares answered.

 **"Sounds like a bitch."** Buck barked out.

 **"He's... okay. I really thought he was pure monster until he went off with his little hunter bitch. Fucking cunt. Just thinking about her makes me want to rip these fuckers to shreds!"** Ares snarled out savagely, making Buck grin sadistically.

 **"Hoho! Does she strike a nerve in you?"** Buck gave a feral grin.

 **"More than anything! Ohhhh, if I were to get my claws on her then I'd rip her throat out in front of her other little sluts in front of that damn school! I'd break every single hunter on this world and feed them to the Grimm!"** He roared out suddenly, shaking a few from their sleep. His muscles started to glow a bright, deep red while his eyes turned wild, darting around every so often and flames began to pool in the roof of his mouth. Buck shook his cell rapidly when he saw the destruction that was about to be unleashed. Just as Ares was about to unleash a torrent of flames, he stopped when he heard whimpering, looking ahead he saw several little ones huddled together in a corner while staring at him fearfully. They continued to stare at him fearfully and flinched when he stood up.

 **"There are little ones here..."** He whispered. Buck's face morphed into anger before turning sympathetic when he looked at the children.

 **"Yeah... fucking scientists upstairs are testing on them too. I still hear the little ones cry out for parents, only thing is that they're not coming back."** Buck snarled. Ares' eyes hardened when that came to mind, they were these children's parents away? All in the name of science of an enemy that they could experiment on themselves?!

 **"They're going to pay. Those fuckers upstairs are going to pay."** Ares snarled quietly.

 **"Heh, as soon as you figure out a way to get out of here."** Buck chuckled mirthlessly.

 **"I'll find a way. It's just a matter of time."** Ares said as he sat down on his dingy cot, out of Buck's gaze.

 **"If the crazies upstairs don't get you first."** Buck said.

 **"They won't."** Ares replied.

 **"Keep saying that. They'll get you, just like the little one's parents. Gone... and left an orphan."** Buck said hopelessly and slowly went to sit down in his cold cell.

 **"Or end up as a parent without a child."** Ares whispered as he slowly lied down on his cot, stealing one last glance at the quivering children as they huddled together for warmth. Their whimpers got to him and made him sigh quietly before gathering a bunch of straw together and tying it together with a band on his belt, then proceeded to gently light it with his fire breath. He gave a quiet whistle and caught their attention, six of them cowered away from them but the seventh seemed to edge closer when he saw the lit straw torch. The little Behemoth edged closer until he was touching the cell door and reaching out towards the torch.

 **"Come on, little one. You can do it."** Ares encouraged. The little Behemoth's face scrunched up before he opened his mouth and his tongue lashed out and wrapped around the makeshift torch, pulling it back into his cell. He quickly rushed over to the others and they all huddled around the small amount of warmth, their shivering was still there but it lessened from the previous minutes. The cot creaked as he sat down and lied down on it before closing his eyes.

 **"Thank you."** A tiny voice from the other side said, making him nod and close his eyes. The other monsters saw his actions and looked at him curiously and tilted their heads before lying down on the floor.

He needed to get out of here... he needed to get these monsters out of here.

.

.

.

He needed to get his people out of this hell.


	15. Chapter 15: Escape from hell

**AN: Note at the end.**

* * *

It had been a few weeks since he's been here. Been at this hell hole where they treated his people like lab rats instead of the wild beings that they were. Day in, day out they would take others and do these 'sessions' on them, seeing how they react when pushed far enough. Each one that came back was always filled with either fear or extreme anger, sometimes it was both. There had been times where they took him too, each time they were met with disappointment when he gave nothing but the usual snarl and growl. This last time though... this was the final straw that sent him into a berserk state.

They took numerous little ones from their cages and sent them upstairs, only a few had returned. He still remembered the screams of them as they cried out for someone to help them, he still remembered the sound of their dying whimpers and the wails of the parents as they heard their children leave this world. Out of the seven little ones in the cage in front of him, only three remained. If they wanted monsters, then he'd show them what kind of monster he was; he ran out of his energy from eating Grimm a couple of days ago after he spent the rest of his reserves healing his wounds. None of the guards dared to try and grab Buck from his cage after they saw him slam against it more often when he either saw them or caught a whiff of their scent. The other monsters were too weak to fight back from the lack of food they were receiving or the illness that infected their bodies from the poor condition they resided in. There were times when all the monsters in the cell block witnessed one of the guards beat one of the little ones for the fun of it, even taking sick satisfaction of the sheer look of anger on the other's faces. The guard saw Ares' face and made a fatal mistake, he went up to his cell and tried to shock it with his baton, only to find his arm dragged between the bars. The man could only watch in horror and agony as his arm was broken then chewed from the socket when Ares sunk his maw into it. Flesh and blood caked the bars and the ground below as the sound of screams filled the dark corridor, eventually the arm tore from its socket and the guard was left bleeding on the ground. The other monsters seemed to take extreme enjoyment in this action, sending roars full of excitement and gratitude but the other guards didn't. When they found out who tore their compatriot's arm off they proceeded to beat Ares senseless with their weapons.

That event happened two days ago. In response to his attack on the guard, they tightened security around him; a collar was placed around his neck to trigger an electrical shock from whoever held the button and the door on his cell was replaced with stainless steel. They did that to all the monsters, their doors were controlled with a set of controls from above, only time they would open is with a power failure. Guards came in frequently to keep an eye on him and taunt him but always left shortly after Buck gave a feral snarl at them, multiple monsters would often ask him questions regarding the wild and what it was like, and often he would describe it for them. His stories always seemed to lift their spirits a bit, even igniting some hope within them.

 **"Ares, some of them are coming."** Buck sniffed the air.

 **"Let them come."** Ares chuckled.

 **"You're not afraid? Of the tests and the pain?"** Buck asked.

 **"They desire one thing, Buck. Fear. Those monsters upstairs want fear more than anything. Pretty soon... they'll know what fear is. They will see what true monsters can do, and when they do... they'll be praying to whatever god they worship to come save them."** Ares said darkly. Buck suddenly went quiet when Dr. Miles walked in front of the cage with a guilt ridden expression on her face, these past few weeks had been hard on her and he could tell. All the monsters knew that she hated doing this but was forced to continue, this was made apparent when she came down on her own time and gave them all food, most of them snapped at her but others waited until she was gone to take it. It seemed after the fourth little one had died, only did she start to argue with her superiors about the treatment of them all. From that point on she had numerous bruises on her face and wrists.

"They are going to test on you today. I'll be there to oversee your procedure but please... don't try to resist or they'll take more than your blood." She pleaded. His glare didn't reassure her in the slightest; as the controller shook in her hand, she couldn't help but buckle underneath his gaze. Once his cell was unlocked and opened, she moved out of the way and went to the next one to the left of his and pulled out a severely weak Wraith. It was obvious that the poor monster wasn't going to last much longer since she wobbled every step of the way, her talons had been severed to prevent any harm to the staff while her clothes were just rags at this point. Ares went to the weakened monster and picked her up bridal style before following the doctor out of the cell block, regret was on his face as he did this as was it on the doctor's. As the two walked up the stairs, a bright light flooded their eyes before they adjusted and they were met with a sterile white labyrinth of hallways. They walked for a minute and could hear the pained screams of others, he stopped walking when he looked into one room and saw a couple of scientist place a sheet over a little one and write something on the clipboard before shaking their heads. His eyes turned a reddish orange when he saw the sheet start to turn red as the blood seeped through. These people were willing to test on children all for their sick gains?!

Flames started to build up the bottom of his throat as smoke poured out of his mouth the longer he stared. Ms. Miles could see the outcome if he blew up and tried her best to calm him down but only jumped back in surprise when he sent a glare so fierce at her she jumped in her skin. This wasn't the fury of an angered individual, this was the fury of something that would rip every scientist here to shreds and burn the establishment to the ground. His thoughts of the destruction of this place was interrupted when the Wraith in his arms coughed weakly, her arms fell to the side while her eyes were barely open at this point. She wouldn't survive this test, that much was obvious. They began to walk again towards the room but he took in every detail to remember when he made his escape, he would not die here in this hell hole, he would make it back to Sistine and the others. For the next several minutes they walked down a series of corridors until they reached a large room where numerous doctors and scientists stood while two clean tables sat there, waiting for the specimen. Guards littered the room in each corner and aimed weapons at him while he just sent a feral glare. Despite them seeing him numerous times and taunting him, they couldn't help but feel weary this time. Something about the way he carried that weakened monster and his eyes sent them on edge.

"Ah, the specimen is here. It seems he has brought someone else too. Such a good little dog, now if you'll be so kind as to place her on the table, we do need her body alive in order to get what we need." The doctor laughed, making Ares' eyes glow malevolently and smoke pour from his mouth. They sent him smug smirks thinking they've had control over him when he set her on the table but raised an eyebrow when he 'spoke' to her.

 **"They are beginning."** He whispered.

 **"I don't want to go through it again... I just want to escape this hell."** She whispered weakly. He could only send her a pitiful glance before setting his forehead against her's.

 **"I will make it painless as possible."** He said somberly.

 **"I would normally be scared of death, but... I can't help but feel relief."** She replied as tears leaked from her eyes.

 **"It's okay. Death is the next step to eternal happiness."** He reassured her.

 **"For what it's worth, thank you... Goliath."** She thanked and closed her eyes when he placed his hands on her chin and the back of her head. What happened next both shocked and angered the scientists in the room. He quickly snapped her head to the right and listened to the crack as her neck was broken, her eyes were still opened and he gently brushed his hand over them to close them. A small smile was on her face, almost as if her death brought her eternal peace. There was a loud bellow and he felt an immense force strike his back. Each strike hurt but his eyes were glued to the now deceased female that lie on the lab table. To see such an elegant, dangerous creature give up so easily was almost heartbreaking, it awoke something inside of him, it wasn't like when he lost his temper with everyone but a more deep feral, primal feeling. This was the feeling of an alpha who lost one of his own and couldn't do anything about what had happened. More blows struck his back and made him scowl but otherwise endure the pain.

"You fucking animal! Do you realize what we could have gotten from her?! Of course you don't! You're nothing but the bottom feeder of the food chain!" A scientist shouted as he hit Ares in the back again. As more blows struck him and made his skin bruise an ugly color, he finally had enough and quickly whirled around to face the man. His face was morphed into one of confusion before turning into agony when he felt a set of claws ram themselves in his eyes while the other latched themselves onto his lower jaw. Screams echoed throughout the room as a tearing noise could be heard before a loud disgusting snap and a body fall to the ground. Everyone could only stare in horror as they watched the body twitch uncontrollably before coming to a halt completely. They looked up to see the jaw in Ares' hand and him staring at it before chewing on the flesh around the teeth, blood splattered against the ground the longer he feasted on the jaw. Once he finished he looked up to a guard coming at him with a stun baton and a furious expression on his face. He managed to dodge the first strike but didn't count on the second one coming quick and knelt down in pain when he felt the electricity strike his stomach. The other guards were shaken out of their stupor and began to converge on him and strike him with their weapons, each having a small grin on their faces. They eventually stopped when the doctor behind them called them off and calmly walked towards Ares, kneeling down in from of him and smirking.

"I'm impressed that you've did that. I really am, but just think boy, you may be an apex predator out there but in here... you're nothing. You're just a simple victim in our grand research to finally combat the Grimm-" He stopped when he heard chuckling, before that turned into full blown laughter. Everyone in the room suddenly became weary when Ares slowly started to rise and stand to his full height before his hand suddenly lashed out and he lifted the doctor off the ground.

 **"Eyes, lungs, heart, intestines, kidneys, pancreas. There are so many snacks but so little time."** He snarled out before his tongue seemed to elongate and slowly brush against the doctor's face, as if to taste his flesh. One of the guards made the mistake of recklessly charging in and widened his eyes when he heard a pained shout and heard something crack. He looked up to see Ares holding the doctor hostage while having a grin on his face. He reached in the doctor's pocket and saw the button that was controlling his collar, staring at it for a second before crushing it effortlessly. He suddenly sank his teeth into his shoulder and ripped his head up, taking a load of flesh and blood into his mouth before swallowing it all with a disgusting gulp. He ignored the screams of agony from the doctor and opened the door and entered the hall with the man dangling in his hand while holding his bloody shoulder; a sound of an alarm could be heard shortly after making him scowl. Shouts could be heard from down the hall and he saw guards with guns look in their direction and aim their weapons before firing at the two. He dove into a room with the doctor in his arms and slammed his foot on the door, closing it quickly before throwing the doctor across the room and going to the window and putting a locker in front of the door. Groaning could be heard and he turned around to see the doctor still holding his bloody arm, a feral grin stretched across his face and his mouth began to heat up. The doctor didn't notice the shadow above him until he saw the orange glow on the ground below, prompting him to look up to see Ares' mouth begin to glow with flames.

"Now, now. Let's not get to hasty boy." He tried to say while holding his hand out. He later screamed when Ares' jaws cleaved his fingers off then broke his arm, his screams of pain turned to wet gurgles when jaws clamped around his throat and began to thrash around. Ares was on all fours at this point with the doctor's throat in his mouth, he thrashed around and slammed him up and down before he dug his jaws deeper into his neck and felt the bone, giving an extra hard display of power he managed to break the neck with a loud crack. After a few seconds of growling he let go, the sound of banging could be heard and he looked towards the door and saw it shake as the guards slammed themselves against it. Looking around for anything useful, his eyes caught sight of something that made the feral side of him come out.

A massive generator that was left all _alone_.

 **"Hmm, I could go the stupid route and fight them now... but there's no fun in that, is there?"** He asked to himself as he walked closer to the generator. There seemed to be a series of buttons that made no sense to him but it didn't matter. Buttons weren't needed when the whole thing was about to be destroyed. He sent a fist into the side and ripped it out before hitting it again, each time caved it in little by little until eventually he felt something spark against his hand. Numerous wires lied strewn against the machine before they were pulled out and thrown across the room. Red, flashing lights illuminated the room the longer he destroyed the generator before moving onto the next. He heard panicked shouts outside and the banging against the door quickened before all the lights went out as he slammed both his fists on the final generator. All the lights cut off and his eyes seemed to glow malevolently as he slowly turned towards the door when the banging stopped.

 **"The hunters become the hunted. And in this moment, monsters will rise and feast on their prey!"** He roared loudly before charging the door

* * *

Buck was never really had a taste of real freedom or unhinged violence in his life. He was always kept back by the alphas of his pack or by judgmental others who would usually comment that he was _too_ violent. The only time he managed to let loose was during the five day battle on Shear, when killing the ones who invaded his home brought him some sort of joy. Now don't get him wrong, violence wasn't always a good thing in his life. He often enjoyed lazing about in a magma pit or even watching the local wildlife go about their business, those types of things made him calm in during his life. Only when the humans and their ingenuity came, did he start to become a cold, violent monster that he was today; so fueled by hate and anger that he scared others away from him.

Then the hunters came to Shear. Only then did he truly let loose, but at a cost. He was too busy basking in the violence that he forgot to check on the eggs and the little ones. When he returned after destroying a settlement, he found smashed eggs and numerous little ones deceased. He was confronted by the pack and exiled until his death on the third day of the battle. Then... he woke up near the walls, naked and confused as to why he was one of these... disgusting beings who mistake ingenuity for destruction. Some people in white came and made him believe that he would get answers, but lo behold, he was their newest plaything for the next two years. They constantly put him to sleep and tested on him against others and would write things down that made his hate for them grow. It wasn't that he hated humans, no he found them curious creatures when they explored in their territory, but when they came in his it was a different story. They locked him in a reinforced cage to keep him from harming the guards and kept him from the others in the cell block, which stretched into hundreds by now. Then came the day a couple of weeks ago when a strangely docile savage Goliath was rolled in and was moved after getting in a fight with a corpse-eater. He was different, he reeked with the power and authoritative aura of a savage, never even backing down when he sent a glare that would scare most away. His stories lifted the spirits of the many monsters who were trapped in here, stories of the wild that wasn't quite like Shear but they could at least live in peace. That was the kind of life he wanted to live but probably would never due to the men and women upstairs.

His thoughts were suddenly cut when the lights cut off, making him growl in agitation. Both his eyes widened when the door clicked and slightly opened, making him take a tentative step forward and push open the door. Once he did, his ears perked up when he heard the sound of cell doors creaking and looked to see others shamble out of their cells before blinking in surprise that there were no guards rushing down. He turned his head to the right when he heard hopeful squeals and saw the remaining little ones quickly rush to their guardians, hugging them tightly and crying their little hearts out. Rotating his neck to get rid of the stiffness, he finally caught a good look at himself in the reflection of the cage. Nearly eight feet tall with sandstone skin, his hair was an unkempt mess of sandy hair also. Blue tribal tattoos littered his arms and torso while small protrusions jutted from the sides his lower jaw, like they were tusks. All of them turned their heads towards the stairs when they heard screaming, gunfire, and roars echo throughout the halls. One of the Goliath was slowly walking forward but was docked when Buck held him back and shook his head before turning his head back to the stairs.

All was quiet for a few minutes before they saw two figures fighting on the top of the stairs before one of them was thrown down. Their body tumbled down and eventually became a bloody heap in front of them, all of them saw it was one of the guards that would torment them on occasions. They turned their head back to the stairs when they saw Ares' bloody figure slowly and methodically step down the stairs before turning towards them while eating a human heart. The flesh around the heart stretched a bit when he pulled on it before slurping it up when it finally tore off of the section, how he missed the taste of a human.

 **"I assume you all are hungry?"** He asked them all. None of them moved but the scent of blood and the fact that he was eating slowly got to them. They all heard groaning and saw the guard slowly shift before flipping onto his back and opening his eyes. After a minute of adjusting he caught sight of numerous eyes staring at him unblinkingly, making him try to scramble back but was docked when a Kraken wrapped its claws around his leg and pulled. Almost simultaneously, all the monsters bared their fangs and watched as the man tried to fight his way out but screamed when a Gorgon clamped her fangs on his leg, a Wraith started to tear into his chest while another Goliath clamped his jaws onto his wrist. More and more monsters started to dig into his body and shove mounds of flesh into their mouths. His screams echoed throughout the cell block as the monsters tore into his body like a sick buffet. Two Behemoths grabbed his arms and legs and began to pull apart, ignoring his pleas for them to stop, with one final and savage pull they managed to tear his body in half, splattering the floor with his viscera. More monsters gave in to their wild side and quickly shoved others out of the way for a piece of flesh.

They heard something drop near the stairs and creepily turned their heads, they saw Ms. Miles shakily stumble back and tried to turn tail but let out a panicked scream when a Wraith warped up to her and warped back to the spot she was at before throwing her down and use her claws to stab at her. Other monsters saw this and began to beat her senseless before they were roughly ushered aside by Ares when he sent various growls and snarls. She yelped in surprise when he gripped the back of her shirt and lifted her off the ground and into the air, staring into her eyes sternly before leading her over to one of the cells and throwing her in. He slammed the door shut and glared at her before returning to the others, who continued to fight over a piece of flesh before noticing him and moving out of his way.

 **"There's more food upstairs."** He grinned.

 **"How much? The little ones need the food more than us."** Buck said.

 **"Countless bodies of scientists, guards, and other fiends that work here. Everyone who tormented us, beat us, tested on us, even logging down our behaviors are nothing but food at this point."** He said. The countless others nodded at this and licked their jaws at the thought of warm, succulent flesh that would soon enter their bodies and fill them with nourishment. Even Buck's stomach growled at the thought of food entering him, it had been a while since he's had any real food and not the slush that they would give on the trays when they fed him.

 **"What about her?"** The corpse-eater said as he licked the bar and practically vibrated when he felt her shiver in her boots. She buckled underneath their glowing gazes and tried to shield herself from their snarls at her but eventually gave in a let out a terrified scream when she saw the corpse-eater thrust his hands inside and try to reach towards her.

 **"Leave her. There's plenty of food to go around up there, and plus... don't you want to taste the corpse of the doctor who was behind all of this?"** He asked. The corpse-eater, along with everyone else, stopped when they heard that. He killed the doctor? They were free from the torment?

 **"Ares... are you sure it's the doctor?"** Buck asked slowly.

 **"Of course. That slimy, arrogant, no good fuck put this damn collar on my neck. He and his little associates are the reason I'm here! He's the reason I'm separated from my family! HE'S THE FUCKING REASON I'M NOT NEAR MY SISTINE!"** He roared savagely as pools of fire erupted from the bottom of his throat and threatened to spill had in not been for a calming hand on his shoulder. His gaze was locked onto the floor but he felt more hands on his shoulders and forearms and he looked up to see all the monsters outstretching their arms towards him, once his gaze fell over them he saw that each one bowed their heads. He knew what this meant, it was something his father had taught him before his passing, not only was this a big responsibility but it was also a big honor.

They saw him as their king.

There was only a few king of monsters on Shear, each one had done something that made them respected by all packs. Pack wars were rarely ever seen on Shear due to the custom the king has, no monster shall ever spill another monster's blood unless absolutely necessary. While fights between were allowed, it was usually over petty things such as territory, food, mating rights, and etc. Wars were strictly forbidden. Kings always saw their subjects as family and didn't want to see another killed over something trivial, but kings sometimes went against their own rules to ensure the survival of their family. Those who would openly defy the king and attempt to dethrone them was usually met with severe consequences, the worst being death while the best was imprisonment. It may have seemed like he was always distrustful of others, and usually that was the case, it was usually due to the fact that no one wanted a savage in their pack. Savages were feared among monsters; they were isolationists and were always content with being that so long as they didn't get threatened they were fine. To see a savage as a king was something out of a story to put little ones to sleep.

 **"We are not lab rats. We are not bottom feeders. And we are certainly not these people's weapon for destruction. We are monsters, apex predators who know when something is too big to chew and come back later to finish it off. We are the ones who will survive when all else falls!"** He roared at the end. The others slowly perked up and digested what he said before raising their hands in the air and roaring in unison, it may not have seemed like it but they were excited to finally leave. Ares saw their spirits and had a feral grin on his face as they all began to head up the stairs to the upper levels.

 **"Find whatever staff you can find! Tonight is the night we feast on the flesh of the guilty, take your revenge, satisfy your bloodlust, Gather your strength! Tomorrow we will escape the clutches of civilization and be free!"** He ordered. Roars and screeches was what he got in response and he watched the gorgons jump into the ceiling and crawl through the vents while Behemoths and Goliaths charged into rooms and searched around for the guilty. Krakens and Wraiths kept a tight patrol and began to catch any stragglers who would try and escape.

 **"You know we won't catch them all. Some will escape."** Buck said as he chewed on a dismembered arm.

 **"I'm aware, but do you really think the public will believe a couple of blood-soaked scientists? They'll be imprisoned and at best, the public will blame the faunus community."** Ares replied as he had a handful of eyes and ate them like popcorn, bloody, gooey popcorn.

 **"Where will we be going? I doubt the settlers will allow us to leave without a fight."** Buck said.

 **"To the forest. From there, we will meet up with my family. And from then we will truly strive for a better future for us all."** Ares said as he sat down on a chair and watched as little ones from the upper levels began to feast on the flesh of their tormentors. These ones were different from the ones in the forest, they've finally had the taste of human flesh and bathed in it. Rei, Ken, and them have had human flesh before and said that they didn't like it but he secretly knew they did; it was only a matter of time before they indulged in their violent side.

 **"I will stand guard."** Buck merely said and began to lumber away, flicking his tail every so often to rid it of blood that collected every few seconds. Ares could only lean back and close his eyes as he listened to the sound of flesh tearing from bone, bone snapping from one another, screams of the tormentors, and finally... feral roars of his people as they reached into their wild side, drifting into a blissful sleep.

* * *

A couple of hours later and he was woken up by shaking, it was soft and he immediately knew it was one of the children. He opened his eyes and saw a lot of the monsters asleep with the exception of a few, who continued to drag bodies downstairs into the basement and set them over to the side for later feeding, but his eyes trailed down to the little ones standing in front of him.

 **"What is it, little ones?"** He asked, kneeling down to their level.

 **"When are we leaving?"** A small Behemoth asked.

 **"By dawn."** He answered.

 **"How long is that?"** A tiny Goliath asked.

 **"In a few hours. Go get some sleep, little one; for the road ahead is long and unforgiving."** He advised. They didn't seem to budge and he sighed before sitting on the ground with his legs crossed, **"I take it you all want a story?"** He asked. Nods were given in response. Racking his brain for a good one, he began to tell the tale of the wild again, how hard it was yet enjoyable. There were times when he could barely scrounge enough food for everyone but other times they had enough food, the times where all of them would stay by the lake or just go hunting for the hell of it. His story telling caught the attention of other monsters and they began to crowd around him until it was all of them listening in on him. Without realizing it he began to describe Sistine, how she was his significant other and kept him from losing control. They were slowly gaining more interest that she was so calm despite being a Goliath but she still stuck to her violent roots, even going out and fighting Grimm for fun when she was either angry or bored. When he realized how long he had been storytelling, he widened his eyes when he saw the hope in everybody's eyes.

 **"My king... is there hope for us out there?"** The corpse-eater asked.

 **"There is plenty. I will not lie to you all and say that when we escape this hell that the settlers will just let us go. They will try to keep us in this place, saying that we are safe behind these walls, but we are not. As I have told the little ones, the road ahead is long and unforgiving, it is no place for the lazy and selfish. Back at my home, all of us had a job to do... and we were happy doing it."** He answered.

 **"What if we fail?"** Buck questioned from the corner of everyone.

 **"Then I have failed you all."** Ares simply answered. They all could see his eyes, it held a certain determination to get them out but it also held a thought should he fail them and they didn't make it out. He considered them as his people without even knowing them. It was silent for a minute before he stood up and excused himself from the rest of them and headed upstairs. He explored around the various halls and saw the once pristine white walls were now stained red with blood and viscera, the stench flooding into his nose like a tsunami.

A door closed with a dull noise and his ears perked up at the sound. Turning his head at the sound he quietly walked towards the room and started to sniff inside, he could practically smell the fear on the victims' bodies making him shudder in excitement. Punching the window out and ripping away the glass he slowly peered inside with a feral grin and saw the three scientists cowering. One of them threw something at his face and a thick black sludge covered his face making him snarl and step away from the door. Once he wiped it away, he glared at them before turning back to the sludge and sniffing it, widening his eyes when he caught the familiar scent of the creatures outside the wall. He raised his hand and watched as the sludge slowly dribbled down and landed on the floor with a wet splat; licking his hands clean, he could only shudder in pleasure when his senses sharpened. The scientists could only watch in horror as their Grimm concoction did nothing to him but please him instead, that was supposed to burn his skin off like everyone else! It was Grimm flesh for fuck's sake!

As if his innate instincts came out he barreled through the door and threw himself at the nearest scientist, ripping the man's head from his shoulders then using his tail to violently knock the bottom jaw off the next one, rendering her into a gagging mess. The last one tried to put up a fight but was still stricken stiff by fear as he held out the letter opener. With a defiant scream he charged but gagged when Ares caught him by his throat and lifted him into the air.

"L-L-Listen. W-We can get set you all free. We can make the public turn the blind eye if we can convince the council! You don't have to do this!" The man begged. Ares rose an eyebrow at the pathetic coward in front of him; just last week this man had experimented on countless monsters for fun and thought himself the most dominant figure in the room, now he was begging for his life. Pathetic. Ignoring the pleading, he grabbed the man's tie and yanked it upwards while letting his body dangle while he gagged violently. He could tell the man had aura but what was aura when you didn't have oxygen flowing into your lungs? The man's face started to turn blue before his struggling ceased and he eventually just dangled their lifelessly.

Ares dropped the body and walked over to the computer and smashed it to pieces, in fact, he started smashing everything to pieces. If they were experimenting on them then he wanted nothing left to salvage from the wreckage for the ones outside to use against them. Ken would complain that they had a lot of neat stuff here while Rei would complain about the shiny things, he missed them. He missed them like how he missed them when he was exiled. It was a deep longing to see their faces again and he could only sigh. His wrecking came to a halt when he looked around and saw everything in pieces, even the whoever owned this office's personal achievements.

More exploring the complex and soon he found himself staring at the exit of it, just beyond the horizon was the sun peeking over and that made him smile. The thought of being free again made him smile, being near his family and seeing their happy faces, being near the love of his life; all those thoughts made him happy and usually when he was happy so were others. He heard footsteps behind him and he didn't need to know who they were, the ones who would question him to make sure everybody made it out. Buck and the Corpse-eater.

 **"You two seem awfully loyal for monsters I just met two weeks ago."** He said.

 **"If what you say is true about us finally leaving this hell hole then I have no other choice. Plus, you showed me there's always someone stronger than me."** The Corpse-eater shrugged.

 **"Not to mention... the wild here is almost like the one on Shear, except a bit tamer."** Buck rolled his shoulders. The three stood in silence and watched the sun just barely peek over the horizon and smiled at the thought of being free.

 **"If I may, what will our jobs be when we reach your home?"** He questioned.

 **"Don't you mean** _our_ **home? So long as you don't try to steal my mate or usurp me then I don't care."** Ares said.

 **"I might have an idea."** The Corpse-eater rubbed his chin.

 **"If it benefits our people then you may say it."** Ares gestured.

 **"Goliaths act as the hunting party, Krakens act as teachers and scholars, Wraiths act as mothers and caretakers, Behemoths act as heavies, and Gorgons act as scouts."** He said.

 **"I like the second one and the last two but I have some problems with all of them..."** Ares said, narrowing his eyes when he saw something in the distance.

 **"How so? I found it alright."** Buck commented.

 **"Not everyone is going to want to wait for food, some will want to hunt also to build their skills. Not every monster is going to want to mate with a Wraith and sometimes not all Gorgons will be able to scout."** Ares replied, a small growl bubbled in his throat when he saw the object in the distance coming closer. The other two noticed this and looked at him.

 **"What is it?"** Buck asked.

 **"We've got company. Both of you, get the others up, we will have to leave sooner than anticipated."** Ares ordered and saw from the corner of eyes both of them nodded and rushed downstairs. They were honorable monsters and would be of great use to him in the future, not in a manipulative way but a loyal way. God, he sounded like his mother, she always did enjoy playing that game called chess too much. His father and him never did understand the concept of the game and usually just left but she did _try_ to explain it to them. All those past thoughts were cut when he merely walked into one of the darker parts of the complex, heading downstairs and away from the group of huntsmen. He came face to face with a few Gorgons peeking their heads through the vents.

 **"There are twelve hunters. eleven of them have close range weapons while the last one has a gun."** One of them hissed.

 **"I presume you heard me order Buck and the corpse-eater to warn the others?"** He asked. Nods from the three were what he got in return. **"Then lead those hunters into a trap, incapacitate them, then bring them downstairs... I want to know what we're up against before our journey to the wild."** He ordered. The three looked at him and nodded before slinking back into the vents above and below, if there was one thing a Gorgon was good at, it was stalking and playing with their prey, withering them down little by little. Right now he needed to find his gear and get this damn collar off his neck.

* * *

It must have been an hour of waiting before the twelve hunters were thrown onto the ground with their torso's wrapped in webbing and cuts all over their faces. A team of what he considered must have been veteran huntsman tried to escape, only to fall short when Buck's behemoths and a group of Goliaths ripped them apart. From that point on the junior huntsmen have been awfully compliant, voicing their concerns but were silenced quickly by terrifying snarls and hisses.

It was silent for a while as the monsters just stared at the huntsmen before moving to the side when they saw Ares come out with his gear on and his bone armor covering it, a white skull was painted on his face and made him look like death itself. When he reached the group both his eyes widened when he recognized them, Cardin and his team and Velvet, but who were the people behind her, must be her team. It seemed CRDL seemed to recognize him and tried to scramble back but were punched in the back of the skull and thrown back in front of him. He paced back and forth while looking at them and noticed out of them all, Velvet seemed the most scared when she saw the sight behind him with crystal clear vision. Countless bodies that were feasted on and some were hung up on the ceiling by their entrails while hundreds of monsters with glowing eyes and their bodies painted red with their victims blood.

"I-I recognize you!" She stuttered, quickly regretting it when he went in front of her and knelt down.

"Velvet... how?" The one with shades asked.

"H-He stopped Cardin from throwing paper balls at me and fought him two years ago." She gulped.

"Well if you know him then he should let us go." The one with shades commented.

"Coco... I never said he was my friend. H-He kind of just stepped in." Velvet stammered. All eight of them heard snapping and could faintly see some of the monsters ripping out bones and sharpening them while some used the skulls as clubs. Ares went over to Coco and reached in her pocket, much to her chagrin, and opened up her scroll before typing a message that was to the point.

 _"How many are out there?"_ It read.

"Just us, and the four stooges over there." She gestured.

"Hey!" Cardin cried out.

 _"What part of the city are we in?"_ He asked.

"Why does it matter?" She asked. He looked at her and let out a chuckle before sending a straight to her nose and causing blood to gush out profusely. Her teammates jumped but found themselves thrown to the ground and held there with an iron grip. Even the biggest one found himself completely helpless at the strength of the Behemoths. Coco coughed as the blood continued to flow from her nose before she spoke up.

"You're in the industrial district. Pretty far from Beacon, about a day's run." She coughed.

 _"Why are you here?"_ He asked.

"We received a distress signal from the school nurse, if she isn't dead." She blew her nose as blood shot out of it and splattered against the floor. He was about to write another message but the scroll started buzzing and he looked at it, then at Coco with a questioning look.

"You answer it." She said, looking at his confused expression then sighing. "Tap the green button." She instructed. He did so and the one person who's face he absolutely dreaded to see came up on the screen. Ozpin.

"Ms. Adel, how goes the mission-" He stopped when instead of Coco, it was Ares, staring at him with those hateful orange eyes. There was the sound of breath being caught and heels quickly running by his side to see it was Goodwitch with widened eyes. Both of them could only stare at him with shocked expressions, just four days ago they had received a rather violent threat from the one who was called Sistine from Brock. He had come in one day with a slightly anxious expression and told them what she had said, needless to say they weren't prepared for when she demanded that they either find Ares and give him back to her, or she kills a team of students.

They found the students' bodies scattered across the ruins and sent a team of veteran huntsmen after her, only to find their bodies shortly after.

"Ahem... Mr. Ares, I would appreciate it if you put Ms. Adel back on the scroll." Ozpin said, fearing for his students' lives. His heart nearly jumped out of his chest when he saw two teams of his students trapped in webbing with bruises all over their faces while the team of veteran huntsmen that he sent lie mutilated next to them. Ares flipped the scroll back around and mouthed Brock's name. Ozpin nodded and then said something to Glynda and watched her race off. A few minutes passed by and Brock's face came up to the camera... along with four hunter sluts.

"Ares, holy shit man... we've been looking everywhere for you. Listen, Sistine, she's fucking crazy man. I know she's like your wife and everything but she literally threatened to kill us all if we don't get you back to her." He said quickly.

 **"Sistine is none of your concern, Brock. You know how Savage's mates are, you know she's willing to destroy an entire settlement just to see me. So get to the point."** Ares snarled.

"Right, we made a deal with her after she killed those kids. If we find you and bring you to her then she'll leave us alone. If we don't then she's going to fight to the death with us, to which she'll probably lose though." Brock said at the same speed. It was silent for a while as all the monsters could see Ares' muscles start to glow vibrantly, they knew when a savage was angry it was almost like pissing off a god. A majority of them backed away and covered their young ones' ears.

 **"YOU TOLD MY MATE THAT SHE'S GOING TO DIE?! YOU ACTUALLY MADE HER BELIEVE SHE'LL NEVER SEE ME AGAIN! I'M GOING TO FUCKING RIP YOUR SPINE OUT AND USE YOUR BONES AS FERTILIZER FOR ARACHNE'S POISON PLANTS! IF SHE DOESN'T KILL YOU, I WILL! YOU HAD BETTER HOPE TO WHATEVER GOD YOU PRAY THAT I FIND HER FIRST, YOU STUPID, INBRED, DIPSHIT, FUCKING WASTEFUL SACK OF SKIN!"** He roared. His roar spoke volumes of how pissed off he was, even Buck felt uncomfortable and sorry for the monster on the other end, never had he heard his king this angry and personally it was a little frightening.

"Look, I never said she was going to die. I just merely said she'll probably lose, so calm down. Hell, I don't want to fight her because she took down a Goliath about the size of a five story building and it was old. You know how old those Grimm have to be to get to that height? Pretty fucking old." Brock said, regaining his composure as time passed.

 **"Brock... I'm going to say this once and only once. If my mate loses to you all and ends up where I'm at, I'm going to rip you apart and force feed you to those girls slowly. You had better tell Sistine that I'm alive and on my way or I'm keeping up with that threat and making it a promise."** Ares threatened and crushed the scroll in his hand. He turned to the countless monsters who were looking at him before he took a few breaths and calmed down.

 **"What is our next move?"** Buck asked.

 **"We're leaving. Now."** Ares answered.

 **"What about these... hunters?"** The Corpse-Eater questioned, his maw hovering dangerously close to one of Velvet's ears. Ares looked at the eight and his eyes glowed dangerously at them, Velvet's team hadn't done anything to him yet but they would in the future. Cardin's team on the other hand... they were dead men walking.

 **"Kill the team with four boys but leave the orange-haired one to me. The other four, maim them to the point where they're barely breathing."** He ruthlessly ordered. Two Goliaths and Buck took Sky, Russel, and Dove around the corner, ignoring their pleas. A couple seconds later there were bloodcurdling screams and the sound of bones snapping and flesh ripping before their screams turned to wet gurgles.

Cardin thrashed around in his bindings as tears leaked from his eyes when he heard his team being ruthlessly butchered. He cried out in pain when he felt Ares grip his hair tightly and force him to look up at him.

"You fucking monster! They didn't do anything!" He cried. Ares didn't bother responding and pulled something out of his belt, it was a small jar with a handle on the side and he opened it, swirling the contents around a bit before forcing Cardin's mouth open. He poured the glowing blue liquid down the bully's throat and watched as his eyes widened and turned bloodshot. Once the jar was empty he let go of Cardin and watched as he started to cough violently, he suddenly vomited out the blue liquid before it was a mixture of blood also. A sizzling noise and CFVY could only watch in horror as Cardin's throat started to steam and bubble before it started to melt away, his stomach slowly gave away and when it did all of his stomach contents started to spill out with a disgusting poisonous smell. His body fell forward with a disgusting splat as steam rolled off his decaying, sizzling body.

This was a sick nightmare, it was a sick, twisted nightmare that they wish they could wake up from. Only this wasn't in their dreams, it was reality and they didn't think it would ever leave their minds. This was the beginning of the horror they would endure as they couldn't do anything, especially since numerous monsters closed in on them with glowing eyes. The jellyfish like Grimm from the past watched in the distance, away from everyone's eyes and observed the monsters close in on their prey.

* * *

"He really is like his father. Both brutal when dealing with threats yet so compassionate when family is around." A voice sighed, their voice laced with longing. Said person stepped forward and revealed themselves to be a woman, one who's aura reeked of nothing but death and hopelessness. She could finally understand what he was saying, after so long of not being able to hear a word other than a growl or snarl, it was so heartwarming to hear his voice.

"He'll make it out, he and those monsters will make it out. When he does, only then will my other two babies see me and we can finally reunite." She said, her red eyes glowing malevolently before fading with the surrounding darkness.

* * *

 **AN: So, my fucking PC is down, which means I'm back to playing on console right now. Anyways, I'm so sorry I've been lacking in both quality and content with this story. I've just been busy and my other two fanfics I've enjoyed righting more. Let's just say I've been going on hiatus with this one and I've been slacking with it. I know it's not the best but hey, it's hard to write a good Evolve crossover, at least without using the characters. The ending is for a very special reader who suggested the idea to me long ago and I thought about it but eventually decided to say "Fuck it" and go with it. The main thing about my stories, if you don't enjoy them then kindly leave. I'm not here to impress everyone and I already know I'll lose a few but I could give less than two shits, so long as I finish this story the way I want to.**

 **I will answer reviews or discuss them next chapter, so if you didn't like it, you know what to do. It's not that hard to leave this story and never read it again because there are millions of others that you can read on this site. So, I'll see you all on the flip side, take it easy everyone.**


	16. Chapter 16: Journey back home

A lot of the monsters had fun maiming the remaining team of hunters. The scent of their fear drove them wild and they had to stop themselves from getting carried away, all while Ares watched with amusement when the leader started to beg them to stop. The blind one tried to stand but had his leg chewed off by a hungry Behemoth and was left bleeding on the ground. Some of the little ones joined in and had their share of sadistic fun before they all stopped. What was left was a team of traumatized and bleeding huntsmen on the dingy basement floor while the doctor passed out long ago from watching her colleagues feasted upon. His thoughts drifted back to Sistine, how much of her violent side was showing, her killing people for him brought a sense of pride to him, she truly was his significant other. Then those thoughts drifted back to the others, no doubt they were worried about him and wondering where he was at.

 **"Ares."** Buck called out.

 **"Hmm?"** He hummed.

 **"Is there something troubling you?"** Buck asked.

 **"Just thinking about my family..."** Ares answered.

 **"It doesn't take a genius to find out you miss them."** Buck commented. This received a chuckle from Ares as he looked up the stairs and could see the light shining through.

 **"Yeah, Brock said how my mate killed a team of junior hunters then proceeded to kill a team of veteran ones. She is basically giving them a warning for them."** He laughed.

 **"I thought the queen was a saint?"** Buck asked.

 **"Sistine is anything _but_ a saint. Her, Michelle, and Arachne really dig down to their wild side when pushed far enough; they just have more self control than me." **Ares answered.

 **"Michelle and Arachne?"** Buck asked.

 **"Heh, they're..."** Ares stopped when he thought about them, what were they to him? Sure they were friends but he didn't know how to describe them. They were along the same lines as Sistine.

 **"They're what?"** Buck questioned, a grin started to come across his face when he realized what his king was having trouble saying.

 **"They're something..."** Ares whispered.

 **"Uh-huh. They're something alright, bet they're _real_ special too, huh?" **Buck gave a feral grin.

 **"Shut the fuck up, Buck."** Ares growled when he realized what the Behemoth was implying. The larger monster gave a couple of chuckles then burst out into laughter before grabbing the Corpse-eater and whispering in his ear, watching as the Goliath looked at his king before laughing. They were leaning on one another laughing but didn't notice Ares behind them until they felt an overwhelming presence and gulped when they turned around and saw shadows over his eyes and a grin that promised pain.

 **"Listen, we're sorry. It was a joke."** The Corpse-Eater gulped.

 **"Oh, I'm aware. I'm still going to hurt you though."** Ares grinned.

 **"Corpse?"** Buck asked.

 **"Yes?"** The Corpse-Eater replied.

 **"Nice knowing you."** He said.

 **"Same."** The Goliath replied. Both were screaming for dear life as Ares chased them throughout the basement, roaring about how he was going to skin them alive, and some other things not meant for the little ones' ears. Some of the others winced when they heard fists being smashed against flesh and a plead to stop before they saw their king walk around the corner while flexing his fists and the other two drag themselves around. Eventually they spit the remaining blood out and grinned at their king before dropping it for a serious expression, now was the time to discuss escape. Each monster had a roll; Goliaths and Krakens would act as the driving force, Behemoths would act as heavies, and Gorgon and Wraiths would act as scouts and pick off stragglers that tried to blindside them. He didn't exactly know where they were in the industrial district but his gut told him to to head towards the agricultural district, not that he would know where that was but it was where his gut was telling him to go. In fact, that was where all the monsters' guts were telling them to go, it just felt right and they wanted to trust their feelings to the road home.

 **"Any settler that tries to stop us, kill them. Do not go out of your way to harm ones that hold no value to us, it will only slow down our journey to home. Otherwise... go wild."** Ares gave a feral grin, making them give their own wild grins. He gestured for them to go and they all began to rush up the stairs and out of the complex, with him not far behind before he caught up and started to lead them to where his gut was telling him to go. His gut and his heart were telling him to go east, so that's where home was.

 **"Hang on, Sistine. I'm coming home."** He whispered as he vaulted over one of the cars in the parking lot and into the city.

* * *

A Goliath roared loudly as cinders poured out of its mouth while monsters ran past it. It soon joined the mass of monsters as they plowed their way through cars and people, knocking or killing anyone that got in their way. All of them had been running through the city towards the agricultural district in an ocean of destruction for the past hour. Local law enforcement weren't prepared for some of the monsters and were torn to shreds for even daring to stop them. Half an hour after some of the law enforcement fell, huntsmen and huntresses arrived to at least make a dent in the horde, they managed to tag a few but it only succeeded in pissing off the older, more experienced monsters who would overpower them.

Ares stood on top of a flipped over patrol car with an officer in his hand before breaking their neck and throwing the corpse to the side, he looked ahead and saw huntsmen and huntresses along with a vast amount of specialized personal from the swat coming towards them. He then looked behind him to see the hundreds of monsters, between 200 and 258, all look at him before he gave out a few loud barks and sent hand gestures to the alleys. Some of them nodded and broke off while others stood by his side, their jaws dripping with saliva in anticipation for the fight. While they were worried about dying, they couldn't help but feel exhilarated, there was enough enjoyment radiating from their bodies to repel the Grimm. A loud, long roar made them snap to attention before a hand gesture from their king made them charge forward, using cars and people as shields from the incoming fire.

Distance between the two parties was covered in an instance as the monsters charged the settlers with untamed fury. Most of the police and swat, and even some of the hunters weren't expecting these faunus to recklessly throw themselves at them. A Goliath was the first to make it over the barricade of cars and tackle the nearest officer, plunging his maw into the woman's neck and thrashing around viciously. Others aimed their weapons at him but quickly swung their weapons back to the horde in hopes of trying to get a few before they could be swarmed. Many tried to block or avoid the attacks but were savagely butchered when the monsters proved to be physically superior. It may look like they were wild, thoughtless beings, they were perfectly capable of coordinating their attacks to take down prey. A huntsman managed to slash at an incoming Goliath and wound it severely but was thrown to the ground by a Behemoth and had his spine snapped, making him scream in agony before it was silenced when it crushed his skull underneath its fists. An officer was abducted by a Wraith and thrown on the ground before gurgling when another one clamped her fangs around her throat.

It was a bloodbath, screams echoed throughout the sky while blood caked the ground. Monsters had sick smiles on their faces as they caked themselves in blood and organs, of the sixty huntsmen, swat, and officers, only about fifteen remained. They did their best to put up a fight but the amount of monsters converging on them made them slowly back up, only to bump into more monsters. As if taking in their fear, some of the monsters shuddered in excitement. Eventually their excitement got the better of them and they charged the stragglers all at once, ignoring their terrified screams and sunk their claws into their bodies. Blood splattered and squirted into the air while organs spilled against the ground as the monsters ripped their prey apart with gleeful expressions. After minutes of mutilating the bodies, they parted as their king walked calmly into the center of the destruction with a severed head in his hand. He looked around proudly at the carnage and raised the head in the air and gave a loud victorious roar, it was followed by a chorus of roars and screeches as the monsters reveled in their short victory.

A bullhead flew over their heads and hovered above them while all of them glared at it as the doors opened to reveal a news reporter. All of them could see as she gestured towards them while the camera man panned the camera over them, he gulped when their stoic gazes followed them. Both of them heard a loud roar and quickly turned to see a monster running along the rooftops and gaining ground as he jumped to taller buildings before he did something they weren't prepared for.

He jumped on the windshield.

The pilot was taken by surprise and tried to shake him off but panicked when the Goliath sent his fist through the windshield and grabbed the pilot's neck and dug his claws into his neck and ripped it out. The pilot gagged and held his missing neck as blood squirted between his fingers before slumping forward. The Goliath climbed inside and turned his malicious gaze towards the reporter and the camera man, smiling savagely before jumping out. They were confused by the action before suddenly realizing the bullhead was spinning out of control. Both their screams were cut off when the vehicle crashed and ignited in a fiery inferno into a nearby building.

The Goliath rolled on the ground before walking up to everyone else and watching as the flames danced against their eyes.

 **"Such destruction, such suffering it's beautiful... cause more as we make our way home."** Ares smiled wildly and turned to the others, who in turn mimicked their king's face and ran off with him towards the way home.

* * *

Ozpin dropped his mug when he saw the amount of death surrounding the monsters. Glynda gasped when she realized who was leading the attack. The girls were frightened by the amount of monsters and the destruction they were currently causing. Brock... Brock was affected but he wasn't affected as he should be. He knew Ares wasn't doing this out of fun or spite, he was doing this to get home. From the moment he met the Goliath, he knew that he hated civilization down to its very core. He knew Ares wouldn't just go into civilization and cause chaos for fun, he was either brought there unwillingly or tricked, the former was more likely.

"O-Oh my Oum..." Glynda breathed, witnessing a monster kill innocent news reporters.

"He needs to be stopped." Yang said with red eyes.

"As much as I don't like to agree with Yang, she is right." Weiss nodded.

"Indeed. Brock, I need you and the girls to-" Ozpin sighed.

"No." He interrupted.

"What?" Everyone exclaimed, seeing him eerily calm for some reason.

"I'm not going after Ares. I'm not fighting him, detaining him, or killing him. I'm going to let him go home. It's clear it's what they all want." He said.

"He's killing people!" Ruby shouted.

"I'm aware. He's killing people that get in his way." He waved.

"What is wrong with you?! You do realize how much negativity he's drawing from all that death?! The Grimm could be knocking on the walls right now!" Weiss gestured.

"Then that means hunting season is early. You girls do realize that he's going out in the wild, right?" He asked.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Glynda seethed.

"Don't know if you all noticed but we literally use Grimm for _rugs._ Beasts that disappear right after death and we're using them as rugs and clothes, it's probably a good thing for all that negativity to be rolling around. It's more clothes on those monsters' backs." He shrugged, his armor taking a massive blow when Yang punched him in the face.

"He may be your brother, but he is definitely not a good person. Killing people to get to the wild isn't the way to go! He's basically attacking our home, Brock! Why don't you care?!" She screamed in his face. A memory appeared in his mind when he thought back to Shear, when the hunters invaded and killed everyone. He died on the first day but he still remembered the humans' faces of joy when they killed a monster, no matter the age.

"You want to know why I don't care?" He asked, turning to them all.

"Because why should you all get to live comfortably while us monsters don't. Did I ever tell you the story of my home? Before I got here?" He asked. All of them looked at each other and shook their heads, he couldn't care less if he told them about Shear.

"It was taken from us. We were the apex predators there and it was robbed from us by some greedy fucking humans." He cursed, tensions were rising from that but they all remained silent. "You hunters and settlers didn't care what territory you crossed, you didn't care how many little ones died, and you certainly didn't fucking care when our race was already staggering from your damn pollution!" His voice rose.

"What are you talking about?" Ozpin asked.

"My damn planet! My planet used to be full of life and us monsters were comfortable. That was until you settlers showed up and ruined it all! You want to know something? It was bad enough that our race wasn't common like you humans but what made shit worse was when you all started polluting our environment. Expanding when you weren't allowed and killing all that got in your way!" He shouted.

"Brock, you're acting hysterical. There is no other planet-" Glynda said.

"Shut up! Remnant is so far behind in everything that it's embarrassing! Not only do you not have space travel but you don't have any other resource than Dust, and to top it all off, you all haven't even solved racism in this place!" He interrupted. All went quiet as his breathing was hard, his face was contorted into an angry snarl and his shoulders were tense.

"Brock, are you sure there's life outside this world?" Ozpin leaned forward.

"Yes. There's barely any fucking prejudice outside this rock yet there's always the same amount of destruction. My home was robbed from me because you all couldn't keep your fucking fingers off the land and my race was pushed to fucking extinction because you all didn't want to leave. So you're wondering why I'm defending Ares, that's the one of the reasons. Those monsters look up to him because they see him as someone who'll get them home but seeing as to how you want everyone to kill him, I'm not so sure that's going to happen." He seethed and walked to the elevator.

"Where are you going?" Yang demanded.

"Going to tell Sistine that her husband is alive and coming and pay my respects to the Eli." He whispered and entered it, not even bothering to see their faces. All was silent for a while before Glynda spoke up.

"Who is Eli?" She asked.

"It's Ares' son..." Ozpin answered.

"What?" She asked again.

"He had a son, from what Qrow told me... he said that when he spoke about the infant, Ares reacted poorly and attacked him, almost killing him in the process." He answered.

"What?!" Yang and Ruby shouted in unison.

"Yes, I did not wish to tell you in order to keep you two calm but yes, Ares did fight your uncle and almost killed him. He had been stabbed with a poisonous knife from an unknown mixture of plants. Luckily he was able to run to safety before the paralysis could come in." He explained.

"I'm going to kill him!" Yang bellowed.

"Yang, calm down." Blake said.

"Calm down? Calm down?! Blake, he almost killed my uncle! He's killing people to get out of the walls, which he could have done peacefully, and last but not least, he's making Brock basically turn against us!" She argued.

"I have my doubts about that last one but semantics." Weiss said.

"Shut up, Weiss!" Yang snapped.

"Girls, tensions are high but your attention is needed elsewhere." He gestured towards the muted TV. They looked at one another and nodded before heading out into the elevator. When the doors closed Ozpin sighed and leaned forward before speaking up after a couple of minutes of silence.

"We might need James' assistance, we are dealing with a true monster." He said.

* * *

Brock finally arrived at Ares' home after a couple of hours, he first went to Eli's grave and paid his respects then walked towards the cave. The first two to greet him were Kyla and Lilith and he smiled as they hugged him before getting the others. Pretty soon, all the children were hugging him and asking him if he had any stories but to their surprise, he said it wasn't that kind of visit. They were a little confused before they climbed on him and walked alongside him as he walked towards his father's hut. After a few moments of telling the children to go play and do their own thing, he was finally able to talk to his father in private.

When he walked inside, he saw his father sitting near that little creek in his hut, just watching the water pass gently as he polished his stick in some oil.

 **"It's been a while, Brock."** Mathias commented.

 **"Yeah... it has..."** He said.

 **"No hunter stories to tell?"** Mathias questioned.

 **"No."** Brock sat down on the bed, making Mathias look at his son.

 **"I take it things aren't going too well at that school?"** Mathias asked.

 **"Heh, not at the moment..."** Brock sighed. It was quiet for a while before Mathias shuffled over and sat on the bed with his son.

 **"This may sound like I'm not concerned with your problems but if I may ask, where is Ares?"** He asked.

 **"Came to all about that. He's in the city and is currently making his way back with hundreds of our people."** talk to you Brock leaned forward.

 **"Oh thank God... but what's the catch, there's always a catch."** Mathias said.

 **"The catch is that the 'school' either want to have him detained or killed by me."** Brock answered.

 **"Did you agree?"** Mathias narrowed his eyes but widened them at the answer that was given.

 **"Of course not. I declined and merely stated why we were on this rock. I said I wasn't going to stop him and that I wasn't going to reveal his location. I'm probably going to be either arrested or shunned once this whole thing is over with."** Brock said.

 **"At least you're still a monster."** Mathias nodded.

 **"Can't say I'm one either. I'e been around the settlers so long that I've become one of them."** Brock laughed sadly. He felt a hand on his shoulder and saw his adoptive father look at him before pulling him into a hug.

 **"You're a monster, Brock. Everyone here knows that, they know that when it all boils to it that you're still a monster."** Mathias assured.

 **"Thanks, dad."** Brock smiled.

 **"Anytime, I would suggest that you go talk to Sistine about Ares. She's been rather violent lately and it's beginning to worry me."** Mathias rubbed his chin.

 **"Yeah, both Ares and his wife are scary."** Brock agreed. Both shared a laugh for a few minutes before he got up and exited the hut, giving a last wave before he took a deep breath and made his way towards the cave, it seemed a lot scarier up close now. Before he could enter it, he was stopped by the spider monster of the group.

 **"Holy shit, when did you get here?"** She asked as she hung upside down by a web.

 **"Just twenty minutes ago."** He answered.

 **"Well damn it all to hell, why didn't you say you were coming? Wait... you didn't bring those girls, did you?"** She asked, flipping her body around and landing on her feet.

 **"No. They got mad at me because I wouldn't stop Ares."** He answered.

 **"Tch, typical hunters."** She scoffed.

 **"Aside from that, where's Michelle and Sistine?"** He asked.

 **"We're in the cave, grooming."** She answered. He nodded and followed her inside, he wasn't interested in the cave at the moment due to him getting the message but he was confused to see Michelle sitting on the bet while Sistine brushed her hair from behind. For as long as he knew Michelle it was kind of a perplexing sight to see anybody else touch her hair. Gentle purrs made him raise an eyebrow to see such a docile sight.

 **"She's been awfully tame these past few weeks. It's almost like she was a kitten to see her purring this much."** Arachne whispered.

 **"I don't see you complaining when I groomed you."** Sistine glanced up.

 **"You have that effect on people. Ares didn't seem to mention you could do all this."** Arachne retorted.

 **"Because he'll never let me groom him. He does it himself and he does it to Rei and Ken, speaking of which, where are they?"** Sistine asked.

 **"Last I saw, they were near the lake fishing."** Brock finally chimed in. He kept his ground when Sistine fixed a gaze on him before turning back to Michelle's hair.

 **"Where is he?"** She asked.

 **"In the city, currently wreaking havoc to escape with hundreds of monsters."** He answered, making all three look at him.

 **"How do you know this?"** She asked.

 **"From Ozpin. He wanted me to either stop him or kill him."** He said, making their hair stand up.

 **"Did you agree?"** She asked suspiciously.

 **"No, I'd rather inform you then go after him. The girls are heading after him though."** He answered.

 **"... Thank you..."** She sighed.

 **"I'll let myself out... I paid my respects to Eli, by the way."** He said as he walked outside. Once he left both of the girls saw Sistine's face covered by the shadows, they knew the rage she was holding in. They knew that Ares was kidnapped when the went searching for him and found a needle with his scent on it. There was another scent that bothered them, it was one that reeked of alcohol and Dust. A plume of smoke seeped out from her mouth and flames could be seen but calming hands on her shoulders made her look to see both of them sending her reassuring glances.

 **"He'll make it out. It's just a matter of time."** Michelle stated.

 **"And besides, he owes all three of us a treat."** Arachne snickered.

 **"Excuse me? You deserve a treat, how many tasks have I done to earn this? You've done like three things while I've done dozens."** Michelle snapped.

 **"Maybe because you don't have enough junk in the trunk~"** Arachne wriggled her rear.

 **"Why you little-"** Michelle barked and tried to move but found herself running in place when Sistine gripped her tail and kept her in the same spot. After sending snaps and barks, she finally managed to sit in front of Sistine again. Her purring picked back up and she couldn't help but lean back, it was almost like sitting in a chair that fit her perfectly.

 **"Michelle, lie on the bed."** Sistine ordered.

 **"But I'm just getting comfortable..."** She whined.

 **"Just do it."** Sistine deadpanned. She saw Michelle look up at her with questioning eyes but eventually sighed and lie flat against the bed. She then sat on top of her back and moved her hands against the grooves of the spikes before finding the right spot before pressing it harshly, drawing out a cry of pain.

 **"What the hell?!"** Michelle shouted. There was a burning sensation across her back before it suddenly went away after a few minutes, she felt the weight on her back roll off and turned to glare at Sistine.

 **"Your spikes were getting too long so I shortened them."** She said.

 **"By tearing a muscle?!"** Michelle outraged.

 **"Not really, more like... relieving stress. Your spikes turned to dust so it's easier for you to sleep. Now let me finish grooming you."** Sistine gestured. Michelle fixed another glare at her before leaning back into Sistine's chest and began purring when she felt the brush go against her hair. Arachne laughed at the sight before jumping and flopping on the bed next to them, she got underneath the fur blankets and started to fall asleep but felt a smack against her face.

 **"What the actual fuck?"** She hissed.

 **"Get up."** Sistine said flatly.

 **"No, I'm comfortable."** Arachne hissed again and curled into the blankets again.

 **"Get up before I make you."** Sistine said with more force.

 **"Guess you'll have to make me~"** Arachne teased. The air went silent for a while as the three monsters just stared at one another before Sistine spoke up, saying something that was completely unlike her.

 **"Ares and I mated there. You're lying in the spot where he got me pregnant."** She said.

Silence was what she got in return before a embarrassed shriek made itself known in her ears.

* * *

The streets were filled with fear as monsters jumped across rooftops and barreled through buildings with reckless abandon, ignoring the people who scrambled to get out of their way. The children were usually latching onto their parents' backs but one had fallen behind and was in the streets, observing a flipped over car with a person in it. The tiny Goliath tilted their head at the person's fearful scrambling before a large net launched itself around them, making them shriek in fright and fall to the ground. A gruff voice threw slurs at them and ignored their tiny roars as he dragged them across the street and threw them in the back of a van, next to a orange-haired man with a white coat, then slammed the doors shut and got in the driver's seat. The man looked at the feral child and scooted away a bit when a small stream of flames erupted from their mouth. Pretty soon the catcher became fed up and threw open the doors and glared at the child.

"Shut up, you little shit!" He ordered.

"Wow... real professional. Screaming at a kid." The orange-haired man laughed.

"Can it, Torchwick!" The catcher barked.

"Last time I checked, I wasn't a can. I'm thinking... dashing thief fits me better." Roman rubbed his chin.

"The only thing that'll fit your ass is a cold cell." The man retorted.

"Like I haven't heard that before." Roman chuckled before seeing something in the distance slowly creep up behind the guard. He saw this and a grin spread across his face, if he was going to get out then the best bet would be to distract the guard for the person behind him to get the drop on him. As he was opening his mouth he tried to cover his ears when the child suddenly gave a shrill roar that made both of the adults' ears ring. Roman felt his ear drums getting ready to bust while the guard's eyes started to roll to the back of his head from the pain. A few more seconds and the child stopped, Roman could finally see why. A massive faunus with jagged spikes on his back and tail along with bone armor made from animals and humans on his clothes. His face was painted like a skull and it was clearly working in intimidation because he himself felt wary. The guard was still recovering before he yelped in surprise when his legs were dragged from underneath him and his face slammed against the edge of the van, breaking his nose in the process.

The scene that Roman witnessed made him wince when the faunus suddenly stabbed the guard in the stomach with a stone knife and began to drag it up savagely. Muscle and bone being ripped apart as the knife was dragged up made him wince but what made him scoot back was when the faunus opened his mouth and let a jet of fire burn the man alive slowly, cooking his flesh and charring it. The man screamed in agony and flailed around with his entrails hanging out as he was being burned alive. His screaming stopped when a sickening snap of his neck made him drop faster than a rock.

The beast of the man climbed into the van and began to cut away the net from around the child. Once the child was free he flicked their forehead and listened to the growls and whimpers before sighing and placing them on his back.

"What about me?" Roman asked as he jiggled the cuffs. He saw both of the feral faunus look at him before leaving without a word, making him curse but sigh in slight relief when he saw that the doors were open. At least he had a chance to make a break for it.

While the man was running, Ares and the little one were scaling buildings and jumping across the rooftops, avoiding the people and some of the law enforcement trying to stop them.

 **"Why were you away from the others?"** He asked.

 **"I wanted to explore."** The tiny Goliath answered.

 **"It is dangerous in here. I want all of us to get out and we can't do that if any of the little ones are missing, do you understand?"** He asked sternly. He didn't need to hear the little one say it but he could tell that they felt guilty about straying from the rest. The truth was that he cared about the others as much as he cared about his family, and this little one reminded him of Frost. Someone he considered a sister and losing family is his one fear. For the next several minutes the two scaled across rooftops and avoided bullets before they caught up to the rest. The little one hopped off his back and made their way to its parents as Ares brushed through the monsters and saw their destination. The massive wall that was in between them and home, a bridge across the water was needed to be crossed before they could climb over the massive barrier.

 **"There."** He pointed to the wall, all of them following his finger. **"That is what we need to climb over in order to get home."** He said. Excitement built up in all of them, the thought of being free from civilization made them all giddy, almost as if they were children being rewarded. Buck and the Corpse-Eater were next to him and jumped off the side of the building followed by the rest of them. He stood as watched them all jump before his foot swung over the side and the rest of his body followed. Gravity took a hold of his body and he closed his eyes before snapping them open and landing on the ground, creating a spiderweb of cracks. He took off on his feet before he went down to all fours and began to run, quickly catching up to them and even surpassing them. All of them vaulted over cars and even climbed up rooftops to get by faster while avoiding traffic. Some of them had been having too much fun while climbing, he guessed it was from being cooped up in that lab for all that time that made them happy.

Before any of them knew it they came across the bridge, where a thick fog covered it. The stench of fire Dust and lead built up in their noses and they could tell that there was opposition within the fog. He looked up and saw beams that held the bridge then looked over the edge to faintly see that there were beams they could hold onto before a plan popped in his head. Gesturing for Gorgons and and Wraiths to head up the beams and watching as they climbed up quickly, he then turned towards some of the Goliaths and Krakens for them to go underneath and watched as they did so. He then climbed up on top of a car and threw both his hands forward to signal for Behemoths to push a public bus as cover. They pushed cars out of the way with ease and slammed their bodies against it then strained a bit to tip it over. He then turned to see a mounted horse standing there before a feral grin made itself known and he climbed on top of the horse.

* * *

Huntsmen and huntresses stood behind patrol cars while SWAT and officers stood at the ready with their weapons aimed at the fog ahead of them. Some of them flinched when they heard scraping across the pavement. At first they were calm before one of them started firing along with the rest soon after when they saw the bus scrape against the ground, providing significant cover for the Behemoths pushing it. One of the huntsmen ordered them to stop firing and the rain of bullets stopped a couple seconds after the order was given. All was silent for a minute before they heard galloping and soon saw a horse come out of the fog, but upon closer inspection it looked like the horse had spikes coming off of its back. Needless to say, a majority of them were frightened when they saw Ares suddenly raise his body up and roar loudly as he looked like the true embodiment of death.

His roar was terrifying enough to stun a few of them for a second but that all that was needed for the Gorgons and Wraiths to drop from above with their claws ready. By the time the opposition was able to shake their shock, it was already too late when the monsters were upon them. One huntress tried to aim her weapon at the Gorgon but screamed in agony when a stream of acid landed on her face and melted the skin off. A Wraith quickly warped through an open patrol car and dug her talons into an unsuspecting victim, reducing his torso into a steamy pile of flesh. Some of the remaining forces backed up and began firing on the two monster species but weren't prepared for the Krakens and Goliaths to jump up from the ledge of the bridge and tackle some of them to the ground before burning them or electrocuting them. Fear was basking in the air and it made the monsters shudder in excitement at the thought of their prey putting up a fight before realizing they were outmatched physically.

Most of them realized the futility of the situation and tried to fight still but were eventually backing off when they saw Ares' form stand on top of the flipped bus and stare at them with that mask and those orange, malevolent eyes. One of them turned tail and ran but fell when a fire arrow got stuck in his back and he fell to the ground, screaming in agony when monsters converged on them and tore into their body. The others saw this and widened their eyes at the savagery these faunus displayed before trying to make a break for it. They stopped when molten bombardments of lava landed in front of them and cut off their escape, making them turn around fearfully.

All the monsters were staring at them with savage expressions while blood and saliva dripped from their maws before parting when Ares slowly walked towards them. He could feel the fear in their bodies and watched with amusement as they quickly uttered that they surrendered and begged for their lives. These people tried to stop them from going home so why should they? He ignored their pleas and lifted up his mask, flames poured from the corners of his mouth before they suddenly jet out and burned the remaining SWAT, officers, and few huntsmen that tried to escape. All of them screamed out in agony and tried to put out the flames but eventually fell underneath the heat while others tumbled over the sides of the bridge.

He then walked through the flames methodically with the rest of the monsters, eventually they finally exited from the fog to see the wall in arms reach. All of them could smell the forest from here, it only made their hope skyrocket as they put the children on their backs and jumped towards the wall. Their claws dug into the concrete and they hefted their bodies up quickly. They were almost home, they were almost free from the clutches of civilization and they wanted to see the beauty of the wild again.

A loud noise made them look behind to see multiple bullheads rocketing towards them, making them climb faster in hopes of beating the vehicles. They saw the vehicle doors open up and huntsmen and huntresses aim their weapons at them while ordering them to get down from the wall. They were greeted with snarls and growls from the monsters as they continued to climb the wall. The huntsmen and huntresses gave their final warning for them to get down and waited a few seconds before one of them fired a single shot, hitting a weak Goliath and knocking him off course then sent his body falling to the ground. His roars echoed throughout the sky and a lot of the monsters widened their eyes when they saw his body plummeting towards the ground, before a loud crash made them close their eyes when they heard his slam against a car. The impact alone had killed him but at least it was a quick death.

The monsters eventually reached the top while avoiding the gunfire and glared at the Bullheads. A mass of monsters peered over the edge and realized that they could see the wild, but they couldn't enjoy it, not with civilization breathing down their necks. Another shot made the cement below their feet explode and all of them whipped their heads to see the air vehicles rising up and blaring at them. Cameras were aimed at them and they all knew they were metaphorically surrounded. The people in the Bullheads saw Ares bark and send growls at the monsters and all of them tilt their heads then grin savagely at the Bullheads before backing up closer to the edge. Their eyes widened immensely when they saw the monsters free fall over the edge with children on their backs until it was only Ares left.

There were orders barked at him, telling him to stop and step away from the edge. He then looked to his right and left to see huntsmen and huntresses step closer to him, almost as if they tried to coax him into stepping away from the edge. They thought they had him until he reached in his satchel and pulled out four black objects and opened his palm, some of them stepped closer until recoiling when he threw them at them. They were foolish enough to slice it in half but when they did, a red mist covered the area and made them howl in pain as powdered spices blinded them for a second. He quickly brought out his bow and drew a fire Dust arrow then let it fly towards the closest Bullhead. It struck the engines and exploded, sending the vehicle spinning out of control and spiraling towards them.

They dove out of the way while he waited for it to get close to him and let it crash into the wall, by God did it do some damage. Combined with the fire that had severely weakened the wall and that explosion, it managed to create a large hole in the wall. Big enough for Grimm to enter it easily. Perfect.

His job was done and he roared in victory before running on all fours and jumping off the side of the wall, the Bullhead and the news crew following him over the edge to see his body fall into the trees. Their attention was suddenly brought to the wall when they heard panicked shouted and some of the huntsmen gesturing towards the hole. Since this was live, it created fear. Fear was negativity. Negativity meant Grimm were drawn to it. Which the end result meant death. By the Gods there was going to be death.

* * *

The monsters were roaring in victory. They were free! Countless days in that hell and so many broken spirits but they were free! All thanks to a simple savage, who was strangely missing. Where was their savior? Their leader? Their king?!

Laughing was heard above and they all looked up through the leaves to see a form plummeting towards the ground at a great speed, making them move out of the way. Its form slammed against the ground and creating a cloud of dust. Once it cleared, they saw their king slowly rise up with a feral grin on his face. His authoritative aura rolling off his shoulders but there was also happiness coming off in a a strange, but comfortable mixture. They saw their king, happy for their freedom. So much happiness was filled in the air that the other monsters found themselves smiling at that, it truly was a magnificent day. Their gazes were drawn to a loud screech in the sky to see a Nevermore quickly approaching the giant hole in the wall, followed by another one, and another one. It was actually a murder of them approaching the wall while huntsmen and huntresses tried to ward them off. They heard howls and snarls then looked to the bushes to see a mass of Grimm heading towards the walls, ignoring the monsters in favor of the negativity coming from the city.

 **"That should hold them off for a while. Come, we have a long journey ahead of us."** Ares said as he ushered them towards a certain direction. They followed him and couldn't help but gape at the beauty of the wild, a sense of home could be smelled from a mile away. He just knew it was from the wild. The scent of the flora entered their noses and filled them is happiness, they saw him often look around and collect different herbs then mix some of them together while he went around to others and placed the plant against their open wounds. They saw him expertly mix other plants together as they continued on and some were wondering what he was doing.

 **"My king, what are you doing?"** A Kraken asked as she stepped closer to him.

 **"Mixing plant life together. It creates medicine to help our bodies heal. These forms of ours are not like our monster forms, we are more susceptible to disease and can be harmed easier. But as our bodies adapt to the environment we become more accustomed to it."** He explained. Some of them seemed interested in his mixing and wished to know more. It was a majority of the Krakens but it was also some Goliaths, Wraiths, Gorgons, and even a few Behemoths. He explained to them that their primary diet was still meat, much to the relief of them, but he also explained that herbs can enhance the meat in ways that he didn't know of before. Meat wrapped in different herbs could cure an illness but it could also make them taste better and monsters loved the taste and quality of the meat they were consuming more than anything.

He gestured for them to continue on and continued to explain how their bodies could be used differently and the uses in these forms; claiming that mating was easier, food was easier to hunt as they could stalk better, but they could understand what humans would go through. He also explained that they could change back to their original forms but with a catch, they needed to eat Grimm alive in order to gain the necessary nutrients in order to change forms. There was also that it was for a limited time and that the Grimm were scarce as of now. One rule that was set in place was that a select few could change back. Some of them voiced their concerns but quickly backed down when he displayed some dominance then went back to explaining. Food was needed to be cooked in order to avoid infections, but due to their bodies they could withstand more bacteria from the raw meat they consumed.

They understood why he was telling them this, it was his responsibility as a king to inform his people of what needs to be done in order to survive, something they were grateful for. Their journey eventually stretched from tens of minutes to several hours and they still weren't near the valley where the cave was at. The sky darkened and the monsters could only revel in the beauty of the stars, several shooting stars made their eyes sparkle and a majority of the children drifted from their parents to huddle together to watch the sky. Mates would stick close together as they found new beauty in one another, something about their bodies made them drift closer together, almost inseparable. They made it to a cliff and could see one of the valleys in the distance, it wasn't his valley but it was one of them. He sat on the edge of the cliff and was soon joined by Buck and the Corpse-Eater.

 **"It's even more beautiful than I imagined."** Buck breathed.

 **"Yeah... hard to believe we're actually out here. Free."** The Corpse-Eater gestured around. He didn't know why but he found the area around him beautiful, from the sounds of the wildlife, to the rushing of the waterfall in the distance, something about the wild made him feel... happy.

 **"The valley where I live is more beautiful. Has more space to accommodate for us all. Plenty of food as long as we time the seasons right, Grimm to hunt for clothing and energy for our form transformation, and even places that haven't been explored yet."** Ares explained as he looked forward at the distance. He heard shuffling and saw some of the monsters, along with their mates, huddle closely. Some monster couples held their loved ones close while children were nuzzled in the middle of their parents and began to fall asleep. It truly brought a smile to his face, to see so many monsters happy. Both monsters by his side patted his shoulders then walked off to find a spot to sleep at while he just sighed and looked forward.

 **"I'm coming home, everyone... just you wait."** He reached out before standing up and sitting near a tree and falling asleep.

* * *

He woke up the next morning and decided to go hunting with a few others. The group consisted of all the monster species, twelve went out into the woods and managed to catch a few deer and an elk. It was enough for all of them to feed on and keep them sustained for the journey ahead. He showed them the process of skinning and what parts were good for them and what parts weren't. The parts that weren't good for them they could use in other ways, such as creating weapons from the bones and other uses. A lot of the monsters were interested in this way of survival and wished to get to the valley quicker.

Their meal was good and plentiful, it was enough for them to fill their stomachs and keep them content with it. The children were hungry enough to eat the leftovers and even some of the scraps. Instead of walking quickly to get away from civilization they all just took their time, took their time and enjoyed the feeling of being free. The beauty of the forest eased a lot of their nerves and made them relaxed enough for them to start talking for a while.

A couple hours into their journey they stopped when they heard Ares disappear into the brush for a while and the sounds of pained whimpers from various creatures resonated and flesh being torn open. He later returned with black flesh on his face and red blood dripping from his maw. His eyes seemed sharper than before and his instincts ran wild but soon focused dramatically. They saw his wounds begin to seal up with black sludge then harden a bit before falling off and leaving the scarred flesh. He stretched a bit before sighing in content when he felt like himself again, he could already feel the monster cells in his body doing their work and preparing to change back to his original form should he want to.

He gestured for them to continue their journey to home and they were all too eager to do so. All of them seemed to be content with the work that would need to be done in order to get them settled in. He explained that their huts would be made out of the surrounding materials such as wood, clay, rock, fur, and even leaves in order to make them feel as home as they could. More hours had passed by and they were closing in on his valley, they eventually came to a waterfall that was directly across the cave, which was still miles away but they could faintly see it, it was a tiny silhouette at best. A massive lake and river that housed countless aquatic animals acted at a barrier between the lake and the cave, which was massive. To their right was more forest but to their left was a great plain with different prairies, grasslands, and steppes. It was where Ares hunted the most due to the amount of food that was located there.

Krakens could only stare at the lake in awe, something about the water below them made them feel special on the inside. He saw this and gestured for them to actually go near it, a majority of them did then they looked back at him as if they were asking if they could actually go. He nodded once and watched as countless ones glided off the edge before letting gravity take a hold of them. Their bodies plummeted faster and faster before the the water engulfed them. The rest of the monsters looked over the edge and could see the Krakens seemingly flying underneath the water with their bodies glowing happily. All he could do was smile faintly before heading to a path he knew that would lead them down to the cave faster.

Ten minutes of walking down the trail and they eventually came to the shore to see the Krakens still happily swimming in the water before they saw their king and quickly got out before following the others behind him. He couldn't tell how much time had passed by since they collected the Krakens but it must have been hours since the sun was starting to set. More time passed by and the sky darkened again, it must have been midnight by the time he was close to the cave. At first he was going to go directly to the cave and all the monsters could see it but they were confused when he took a trail down to the left with a couple of flowers in his hand, was he not eager to see his family again? His home?

Questions racked in their brains as to why he took a small path down to the left but all of them were soon answered when they saw him disappear for a minute, they followed him and saw him sitting in front of a grave while his hand was on it. They then saw him kneel in front of the grave and place his forehead on it then bring it back.

 **"Hey, son. I told you I'd be back... I told you daddy would be back home. I'm not next to you up there and I won't be anytime soon... I still have to take care of everyone, let them live their lives to the fullest."** He whispered. Their king had lost his son? It finally made sense as to why he was so defensive when someone brought up the matter of him having kids, he already had one and lost him to what they assumed unseen circumstances. Some felt pity when they saw this, by the condition of the grave, it meant he had lost him recently and wasn't over his death yet. They could only imagine the emotional agony the queen was in at the moment. Buck finally understood what he meant when he was a father without a son all those weeks ago, he had lost him before he was brought to the lab.

Ares stood up and turned around to see everyone, some of the parents looked at him in understanding seeing how they had lost their children to the doctors and could only sympathize with him. It was one of the reasons why he felt their pain, he had lost a child too and didn't blame them for how they acted.

 **"Come... we must get you all settled in."** He said and they nodded. To say his home wasn't beautiful would be a lie, because it was. Different huts made out of wood, stone, fur, and even clay made them tilt their heads in curiosity. It was human architecture but had a wild take on it, which they were surprisingly comfortable with. They had followed him up until the entrance of the cave, where he gestured for them to stop as he entered it alone. Buck and the Corpse-Eater smelled two scents and turned to each other and sent knowing looks.

When he entered the cave and let his eyes adjust to the lighting, he saw Sistine in the bed sleeping. Another body was there too and anger quickly bubbled up in his system as he quietly stomped over to the said person, only to stop when he saw Michelle there. His anger faded fairly quickly and he tilted his head before climbing in the bed and hovering over them. Their features made him miss them drastically. It wasn't until his first full week in that hell did he start to miss Michelle and Arachne like he missed Sistine. With one hand, he brushed part of her hair to the back of her ear before doing the same to Michelle then nibbled on their ears respectively. Sistine was the first one to slowly open her eyes and look at him before closing them again.

Her eyes suddenly snapped open and she looked at him with them widened. She gasped and quickly sat up and stared at him for a second before she slowly reached out to touch his face, he leaned into her embrace and rumbled gently as tears welled in her eyes. She then gripped both sides of his face and threw hers forward, her lips catching his for a second before she hugged him and started to cry gently. His hand gripped the back of her head and let her cry into his shoulder while he smiled a bit as tears slowly started to fall from his eyes and land on the bed.

 **"It's alright... It's alright. I'm home."** He whispered gently. After a minute she finally let go and stared him in the eyes then looked at him. He seemed more defined than before, maybe it was not seeing him for a while but she couldn't help but stare at him. They heard shuffling and turned to see Michelle look at him tiredly before having the same reaction as Sistine, except she didn't kiss him, only had a heavy red tint to her face. Instead of getting angry at her or telling her to leave, he just simply smiled at her like he smiled at Sistine. They knew that look he had, it was one of longing and he was finally happy to be home and to them.

 **"I'll go wake them up."** Sistine said.

 **"I'll wake them up. In the meantime, put some clothes on."** He smiled at them. Both looked down and turned red while he slowly went up to Rei, Ken, and Frost. Each one sleeping in their bunks with the blankets covering their bodies. He gently shook them each and backed up to see them rub their eyes sluggishly before widening them when they saw him. It took everything in his power to stop himself from falling over when they barreled into him and cried, scolding him to not leave them again and him promising that this would be the last time. He felt a weight on his leg and saw that Mimi was hugging it and he bent down to pick her up also, he missed the little runt like he missed them all.

 **"Come, we need to get everyone settled in."** He said as he set them all down and looked at them.

 **"What do you mean?"** Michelle asked as she stretched her tail. He merely gestured them to follow him and when they got out of the cave their eyes widened when they saw the mass of monsters staring at them with curiosity. They didn't know what to say at them. The monsters could only stare at the queen or queens if you will, in awe. If Ares would be considered a god in terms of appearances then the queens would be considered goddesses. The silver-haired one seemed to be the one he loved the most while the blue-haired on seemed to hesitate on her feelings for him.

 **"Where did you find them all?"** Sistine whispered.

 **"In the city, where I was taken and experimented on. These people need a home, Sistine."** He said.

 **"... It's going to take time."** She said.

 **"They know that. It's my duty as king to give them a home and help them thrive."** He said. His family looked at him before widening their eyes, they were a royal family now?

 **"Ares... are you sure this is the right time to be called a king? Especially with how things have been going?"** Michelle asked.

 **"I'm sure. There are going to be trials and tribulations but I'm sure we'll survive."** He nodded. Both Sistine and Michelle looked at him before slowly nodding then looking at the monsters.

 **"I guess it's my duty as queen to help you then, no matter what."** Sistine smiled.

 **"I'll help out. Not as queen but-"** Michelle began.

 **"We will discuss this in the morning. The three of us will discuss something in the morning."** He nodded then turned back to the sea of monsters that were looking at him. **"Spread out and rest, tomorrow and the upcoming days we will build your homes."** He ordered and watched them nod at him or bow before doing as they were told. His family looked at him and he gestured for the cave and watched as the children go inside along with Michelle while Sistine just stayed by his side.

 **"Next full moon, which is in three days, you and I are going somewhere private~"** She nibbled on his ear lobe. His rumbles made her purr in delight before he followed her in the cave. He knew what she had planned and waited anxiously for those three days to come. One last glance at the monsters made him crack a smile before he looked at the moon one final time before Sistine snaked her arms around his chest and pulled him into the dark cave.

* * *

Two weeks had passed by since the tragic event since the escape of the monsters. Hundreds of people had died to them and hundreds more due to the Grimm. People were still missing and was later added to the body count. The official death toll stretched into a thousand, possibly even a thousand five-hundred. It was a massacre and people were still stricken with fear at the monsters sudden arrival; others were filled with hate. Ones that hated faunus now hated them even more as they classified the monsters as a forgotten faunus tribe. Though the faunus community had dug up records for the past hundred years and claimed there's never been a tribe with those distinct features, then claimed that the monsters were something else entirely.

Ares had kept a tight patrol with some of the others in the forest in case of threats and so far he's only encountered two teams of huntsmen and huntresses. For the so called protectors of humanity, they were very careless when out in the wild. Egos often clouded their minds when they spotted him and recklessly charged him, only to either fall victim to his traps or other monsters who wished to indulge in their violent urges. He knew they were recording and sending the data to Ozpin, which made his blood boil. Each member he killed he would later either feed to Grimm or some of the children.

The children had finally given in to their wild side and began to kill people themselves if they were deemed unworthy enough. Rei and Ken had killed their first person when they threatened Mimi, first sending shards into their knees then shooting arrows into their chest, and finally splitting their skull with a stone axe they had made a couple of months ago. The three siblings and the children and adults from the keep were considered the royal family and were deemed the most dangerous by Ozpin. Every huntsman or huntress that went were butchered and had their bodies either eaten or displayed like a piece of macabre art. There weren't enough huntsmen or huntresses to send that recklessly to their doom.

He sent Brock to their territory and surprisingly he wasn't injured, he was rather happy. When he was asked about their home, he replied that they were living the way they should have lived in the first place; wild, free, and violent. Numerous times he had been asked if he could get Ares to stop killing people and share some of his land and they were all shocked to hear that he would do no such thing. He said that Ares won't send anymore hunters to their graves if they stay out of his territory, which was nearly all of the forest save for the initiation grounds. Ozpin, and even Glynda, had asked him what kind of people the monsters were and were taken aback when he said they were good people, they just wanted to be left alone and were content with him being the only one from the outside to come freely.

"Brock, the Grimm avoid that area like a plague, think about how much we can expand." Glynda said.

"Not to be disrespectful towards you but I'd rather not be on Ares' shit list. He and I are on good terms again and I'd rather keep it that way, especially seeing how I didn't reveal his location." He said.

"He's killed numerous people, though." Ozpin gestured.

"I know but he said he didn't go out of his way to kill anybody innocent. I'll give you two a little insight on what he's like, along with those monsters under his rule, as a little bonus. They are extremely territorial, I mean I'm not _that_ territorial, but they're willing to kill anyone who trespasses on their home. Huntsmen and huntresses are considered dead men walking, travelers are given a massive warning to leave or they're dead, and dying people are usually left alone to die. Though is willing to let some go if they gain his respect. So he's not that merciless." Brock said.

"Then what are you?" Ozpin asked.

"As far as?" Brock asked.

"I know you can turn into that monster." Ozpin mused slightly.

"Shit..." Brock whispered, even Glynda knew at this point.

"So what are you?" She asked.

"I'm considered sort of an outsider. They don't go out of their way to shun me or harm me but they are wary of my presence. At first they wanted to kill me but he convinced them otherwise so I'm more of a trader." He shrugged.

"So you're neither good or bad." Ozpin said.

"Yep, kind of cool since I have my own little hut. It's not like some of the others but it'll at least keep me cozy." Brock said as he walked off. It was silent for a while and they couldn't help but sigh in agitation, it was clear he wasn't going to give up the location of the monsters. Much of the forest was unexplored due to the amount of Grimm residing in it that kept progression from happening, but when they have sensors that monitor Grimm activity saying that it was lower than it has been in the past twenty years, they wanted to take that chance.

It seemed that Brock was unaffected by the amount of innocent people that had died, which disturbed them and made them shake their heads in disappointment. He was like a young boy, so curious at the world and what more there could be. The only downside of him was that he was so used to the wild that he barely even registered the fact that countless people had perished in the attack and was going about his day like he was getting married.

They didn't know what to tell the council. The price on Ares' head stretched into the tens of thousands for him dead and a hundred for him alive, most likely to be publicly executed. If they realized what kind of threat that the man was then they would see that they were sending people to their doom and costing people their lives. There was even talk of going to war with the monsters. If Brock could turn into that creature then it meant Ares could to and so could the rest of the monsters. If they went to war then the Grimm would be the least of their problems.

The only person who knew of the location of the monsters was Qrow. They weren't really running blind and knew where the monsters lived but if they took this evidence to the council then all out war could be declared, and Ares looked ready to fight one judging by how he's killed huntsmen like they were nothing. The monsters in his opinion were the ultimate beings; smart, physically superior, resilient, fearsome, and even compassionate to their own kind. They were isolationists, they would rather live out in the wild free than be caged like animals and forced to abide by rules that didn't sit well with them.

Both of them knew they couldn't just do nothing though. Those people at least deserved justice for the fate brought upon them. They just hoped that a war didn't need to be started... they didn't want anymore blood on their hands.

* * *

A month had passed by and the monsters were finally settled in. It took countless days of hard work, which had stretched into weeks, and collecting the necessary materials but everyone managed to finally have their homes built. They were mainly huts made out of either clay, stone, wood, fur, webbing, and even bones. The royal family huts were closest to the cave while other monsters' huts surrounded the area, going on both sides of the river that led to the massive lake. Gorgons made tree houses out of their webbing and wood while Goliaths stuck to wooden and fur huts. Krakens stuck close to the water for obvious reasons while Behemoths chose stone for their building materials and often heated them with their magma saliva. Wraiths had made their homes out of clay and stuck close to Goliaths and Behemoths for protection.

Roles fit everyone comfortably, some enjoyed their roles a little more than others but at least everyone was comfortable with their role. Behemoths had managed to build colossal barriers made of stone that surrounded the colony, quartz spikes were jammed in the walls and skewered anything foolish enough to try and test their mettle. They acted as guardians of the colony. Their huts were close to the gates and they were usually the first line of defense, thus earning them the names of Behemoth Guardians.

Goliaths were the driving force of the small, but lethal, monster army and would often be the ones on the front lines while acting as hunters also. Wraiths were considered caretakers and made clothes. Gorgons assisted the Wraiths with wraiths with creating clothes but also acted as scouts if needed. Finally the Krakens, who were mostly scholars but they would also power things of interest and usually did everything to create better weapons for monsters to use in either defense or hunting. This was home for them, for him.

It didn't take a lot to make him happy but he felt a sense of pride when he looked over his people, to see them trade with one another or to see them argue over other things. They had built a community where they hunted together, played, laughed, argued, and even fought together... they had built a home. Children were educated with Mathias and some of the other Krakens while the other monsters either hunted and scavenged or patrolled the area. Food was abundant, territory could be increased if needed, and mates were happy with who they were with. He was King and Sistine was his Queen. They didn't have children, for now, but they would soon. They were happy.

He caught sight of a male Goliath trying to attract Michelle then watch her stare at him then walk off towards the cave while giving off some of her scent. It made him chuckle to see the male widen his eyes when he realized who she belonged to, their King. Michelle would often sleep in the cave with them when she wanted to avoid some of the other males that would hound after her and seek him out. It must have been a week when everyone was getting settled in to the territory did they realize that their King was extremely protective of what was his, that meant mates. One Goliath tried to test his luck with Sistine and Michelle, only to be beaten by Ares who made the Goliath put his tail between his legs.

He ruled fairly but it was clear he was willing to display his dominance when he needed to, and it was scary how much he carried.

 **"Ares, where's Mimi?"** Michelle asked.

 **"In the cave, next to Rei."** He gestured as he looked at his home to see everyone getting by. She walked by him and gave him a quick nuzzle. It was often funny how affectionate she was now, often nuzzling him before taking care of her duties. Sistine walked out from the cave and stood next to him while holding a sleeping Frost in her one of her arms. She set her head against his shoulder and gave a small purr while he let out a deep rumble before retreating into the cave with her. He let his eyes adjust to the lighting and saw Rei and Mimi were making shell bracelets near the crafting table in the back while Michelle was just lying on the best with Sistine lying down with Frost sleeping on her chest. Ken was tinkering with some shards and waved at his brother from his bunk before going back to his own business.

 **"What are you making, Ken?"** Ares asked.

 **"Some more shards. There's been a lot of cool stuff from the hunters that we killed."** He answered as he tinkered with the weapons.

 **"What kind of shards?"** Ares asked.

 **"Mostly made from metal but some that can last longer than the stone ones. It's kind of confusing but I'm sure I'll manage."** Ken replied. Ares nodded then turned to see Orca come rushing in the cave with an excited expression and something in his hand.

 **"Brock's here!"** He exclaimed, making them look at him.

 **"He is?!"** Ken jumped off his bunk.

 **"Yeah, he's got so many cool things!"** Orca beamed before rushing out of the cave. Ken quickly followed and the girls soon after while Michelle and Sistine just stuck by his side as he stared at the opening of the cave. Frost was still sleeping and didn't have any intention of waking up anytime soon, so Sistine opted to just let her sleep in her arms for the time being. It was nice to feel the small Goliath safe in her arms and she would often talk to her like a mother at times. Is this what Frost saw her as? A mother?

 **"I'm going to see what the big idiot has."** Michelle said then nuzzled him one last time before going out of the cave. They watched her go out of the cave and looked at one another then sat on the bad. She set Frost down on the bed and covered her in the sheets but sighed when she whimpered and reached out towards them. She wanted to be held, to be loved. Her nightmares weren't of monsters or even death, it was what if she was alone without him or Sistine to keep her safe.

 **"She's been like this since you've come back. I don't know what to do."** Sistine sighed.

 **"Let her be held. Show her that she is cared for and is part of our family, she's not desperate for attention or even to feel superior to others. She's doing this because she's truly scared of what will happen if we disappear one day."** He said.

 **"... It's hard to describe since he died... I feel joy when she's constantly near me and wants to be held but I also can't help but feel that I'm replacing Eli so quickly."** She said quietly. Her gaze met his when he lifted her up by her chin.

 **"You're not replacing him... Eli is not something that can be easily replaced..."** He said. Her eyes watered for a second before she wiped them away and nodded at him before picking Frost back up and pulling her to her chest. It must have been a while before she started to nod off and he took the young Goliath before setting Sistine down on the bed.

When he walked out of the cave with Frost still asleep in his arms, he saw that it was dusk at this point. He walked around the colony for a bit, feeling a sense of pride when he saw how many stands there were of monsters trading their goods that they crafted or found. A short walk later he saw Brock standing outside his small hut and a rather large bag sitting next to him and a blanket on the ground with his goods spread out. The monsters saw him as a trader from the outside and would often be excited when he showed up with new things, they were still wary of him but his presence was known now and some had grown used to it.

 **"How is it that you have a relationship with a hunter?"** Buck asked as he picked up some barbed wire from the blanket and observed it.

 **"Don't know. I met her, we kicked it off, then started having sex."** Brock shrugged. Compared to him, Buck was considered an absolute beast of a man, so much that he didn't want Yang to even attempt to fight him. Given how much respect Buck carried when he gazed over the colony, it was clear he held a massive amount of dominance. It still wasn't in leagues with Ares though, who literally beat him in combat a week ago. Speaking of Ares, he was walking towards them with Frost in his arms.

He waved his arm when Buck slightly bowed then shifted his arm a bit so that Frost was more comfortable. He was in his usual attire of that prized hoodie the children made for him but without his bone armor.

 **"Brock."** He said calmly.

 **"Hey, you want to trade?"** Brock asked.

 **"Just browsing and came to see how things were since we escaped."** Ares replied.

 **"Man, the council want your head. Just last week the price went up from two-hundred thousand to six. That's for you dead. The price for you alive is a million and a half, possibly more."** Brock sighed.

 **"Hmph, so they actually want me but they're too pussy to actually do anything. Fucking cowards."** Ares scoffed.

 **"There's talk of going to war with you all."** Brock mentioned, making the other two look at him.

 **"There is?"** Buck's fists tightened.

 **"Yes. The council are considering bringing in Atlas for help. Word is that they have the strongest military... I saw those files you handed me when you all escaped... I think I don't want to help civilization anymore."** Brock said. The other two could see that he was conflicted, on one hand he was enjoying the world for what it had to offer but on the other he wanted to help the monsters anyway that he could.

 **"I won't go out of my way to sick the monsters on you but should you side with the hunters, I can't help you."** Ares said.

 **"I think I'll stay out of it, for the most part. I enjoy travelling and learning new things but I also enjoy trading with you all. It's beautiful here and I don't want to see it gone."** Brock said. It didn't strike a nerve in the two like it should have, they encouraged that he was his own person and couldn't do anything to stop him from being who he was.

 **"Aside from that, how are things?"** Ares changed the subject.

 **"It's going... decent. Yang and I are having some complications due to my choice, Ruby feels different about me, Blake doesn't care, and Weiss kinda hates me. They're pissed that I didn't do anything to stop you all from escaping but it's like, I would rather a couple thousand people die from their actions than my people dying for trying to escape from hell."** He gestured.

 **"So those hunters you stay with hate you?"** Buck raised an eyebrow.

 **"I had to move out of the room and got my own after that. I got visited by Yang's father and Uncle, needless to say they don't like me."** Brock laughed.

 **"Lemme guess, the escape of our people?"** Buck questioned.

 **"Bingo. That bastard Qrow cut my fucking chest while their dad broke one of my ribs."** Brock lifted his shirt to show a rather nasty scar on his torso. He put it down and saw both of them stare at him before their faces twisted into an angry snarl.

 **"That fucking drunk that drugged me is their uncle?"** Ares snarled.

 **"Yeah, real gentleman. Bastard drank while he was cutting my chest open and their father ain't that much better. Basically had a flat face when he broke my damn rib."** Brock said.

 **"Are they still there?"** Buck questioned.

 **"Will be for a few days, why?"** Brock asked.

 **"That bastard in the tower has something of mine."** Ares said.

 **"What is it?"** Buck asked him.

 **"That music box my mother gave me. I can practically smell the thing from here and I know he has it."** Ares answered.

 **"I can grab it if you want. It'll be a while-"** Brock stopped when Ares raised his hand.

 **"I'll grab it myself. That bastard wanted to speak to me anyways by that note he put on that drone."** Ares said.

 **"Are you sure, especially with tensions so high?"** Buck asked.

 **"If we are to live in peace then we must do this. I will not start a war but I will fight one if they declare it."** Ares told them. They could see it in his eyes that he would, he has so much to lose and he considered them as his people. He knew there would be casualties but the monsters knew the woods better than anybody else, not to mention they had Grimm to act as a factor should the need arise.

 **"This isn't a good idea, Ares."** Brock said.

 **"Relax, I'm full of bad ideas. If civilization wants to hunt us after this encounter, then we have every right to destroy them without a care in the world. We leave tomorrow."** He instructed then walked back to the cave. He wanted everyone to be left alone, but in order for that to happen, he needed to do something he really didn't enjoy doing.

Although there was an odd looking Grimm peering at him from the distance, staring at him as he went into the cave before disappearing.

* * *

 **I am so sorry for this, everyone. Not posting this and Johnny Topside, but I promise that this year will be different (I say that every year but it ends up turning into shit). This story will be updated more as will my other so don't think that I'm abandoning them. Now onto reviews.**

 **Specter343: Thank you and next chapter will explain.**

 **kloensy1: Yeah, seen the movie when it came out. It's a lot better than what people say.**

 **mteran305: Thanks for the patience you've shown.**

 **StelarToe6133: WOOT**

 **Thekingrapper: I'll try to provide more for you and don't worry about me stopping, just because I take long to upload doesn't mean I'm stopping this.**

 **Kharnthegreatguy: I hope they try to read it, and thanks.**

 **pedrofaria339: Yep, thanks for reviewing.**

 **Th3DoomSlay3r: I'll admit it's not the best fanfic out there but it's at least decent enough for a short read, thanks for sticking with me.**

 **NightHawk The Warrior: Hope this chapter will give you a little taste of what is to come. And, maybe.**

 **Guest: Thank you.**

 **Drago - X6627: Hope you stick around until the end.**

 **Dogebepis18: Thank you.**

 **I have something else to say, everyone. Volume 6... goddamn, it's a major improvement from the last two volumes. Sure there are a little bit of flaws here and there but it's sparked so many ideas that it makes me want to write more. Chapter 3 was one of the biggest shockers and it made me feel giddy inside. Aside from that, I want to thank you guys for sticking with me this long. It means a lot to me. You remember the golden rule of reviews, don't like it then politely leave, I'm not here to impress everyone.**

 **Anyways, have a good day to you all and I'll catch you all on the flip side. Take it easy.**


	17. Chapter 17: The storm is approaching

The night he announced what was happening, a lot of the monsters voiced their disagreement. They claimed nothing good would come from going to that place and trying to discuss anything with a hunter leader. Most of their voices were of worry should he perish or not come back but he reassured them that he would bring the place down to the ground before he died. The royal family were especially worried about him going there but there was one person that didn't want him going alone, Sistine.

He constantly tried to coax her to stay here but she wasn't budging an inch. She was so hellbent on going with him that he wanted her armor placed on her at all times, to which she had to constantly remind him that she wasn't made of glass. There was a reason why he was so hesitant about her going with him, it was more because he didn't want her in harm's way but remembered she's one of the only one's to take down the Corpse-Eater in combat with barely a scratch. He's one of the best fighters in the monster ranks, being ranked fourth in terms of combat, Buck being the third due to his mass and strength.

 **"Sistine, this won't even be that long."** He said as got underneath the covers.

 **"This is determining the fate of our people and that bastard has the music box your mother gave you. I'm going with you."** She huffed and turned towards him. He wanted to say something but saw that her eyes weren't wavering and he only sighed. Ever since he had gotten back from that hellhole she's been awfully protective of him. Her days consisted of being around him, watching the children, teaching some of the others, and giving Michelle tasks. Granted, she still did other duties but those three things were what she did best. Being the queen of an entire colony of monsters was taxing, just as his job was.

 **"Can't I come?"** Michelle chimed in from the other side of him.

 **"No, and that's final."** Sistine snapped, making the other shrink a bit. His face darkened a bit when he noticed something wrong with her and turned her on her side, he felt her stomach and started to sniff it a little bit.

 **"Sistine... are you okay?"** He asked.

 **"I'm fine."** She muttered.

 **"No, you're not. You smell different."** He said while rubbing her stomach a bit.

 **"... Just go to sleep."** She whispered.

 **"You miss him. I get it."** He said. She tensed up and gave off that scent again and he finally placed it, she usually emitted a strange scent when she's stressed, it leaves a tiny sour feeling in him every time he gets a whiff of it.

 **"I want another child. I want another one but I just don't want to replace him so fast."** She muttered. He sighed quietly and kissed her cheek before promising that the time would come, he made her a promise that he knew he could keep. Soon her scent returned to its normal pleasant smell and he felt tired. There was another smell of a mixture of rain and fire. He turned to see Michelle slowly drifting off to sleep and a thought popped into his before he could actually fall asleep.

 **"Michelle, you will come with us."** He said. An annoyed, tired groan made him chuckle while a small gasp made him nod his head at the Goliath in front of him. He nibbled on Sistine's ear for a second then nipped Michelle's nose and nuzzled it with his own for a second before falling asleep shortly after, leaving her with a burning red face. The tiniest smile appeared on her face as she looked at him then brought her body closer to his then fell asleep shortly after.

It must have been a few hours since he had fallen asleep and everything was going good until he woke up for some reason. He carefully sat up in order not to disturb the two but when he looked around, he saw that Rei and Ken were up also. He felt odd, and so did they, but for some reason there was something that was drawing them to the forest and it was bothering them a bit. There was nothing said as the three got their gear on and their weapons on hand. Rei and Ken were waiting by the cave while he leaned over Sistine and Michelle and told them where he was going, giving each a nibble to reassure them he would be back.

The three of them walked out of the cave and saw the stars shining brightly in the sky before they climbed on his back and just hung there silently as he walked closer to the gate. There were a few monsters out and about but it was usually just ones that could not sleep. They bowed at the three royal family members before resuming their own thing while the three siblings just pushed the wooden gate open and walked out into the wilderness. There was something calling to them that they were drawn to, as if it was a sacred thing that was beckoning them to come to its location.

It must have been an hour since they were walking in silence before they came across a black pond that was just sitting in the middle of a small clearing. He knelt down and let them stand by his side before the three of them walked closer to the small pond and looked at its glistening surface. A dark, soothing hum made them get closer to the tar looking substance before Ares threw his mouth forward and began to gulp some of it down. Rei and Ken slowly did the same thing and gulped massive amounts of the black substance down their throats and let it fill their stomachs. Both of their senses sharpened dramatically. Their bellies were beginning to fill with that smooth substance that tasted like they had eaten the most succulent flesh in their lives.

After a while of drinking the substance, they slowly drew their heads up and let the sludge drip down their jaws before they wiped the rest of it away. The three of them didn't know why but it was extremely pleasing to feel the black sludge swish around in their stomachs, giving them a great amount of energy. They looked at one another and sat on the ground while looking up at the night sky for a minute before standing up and walking towards a certain direction. Where another hum was heard, calling them in that direction now.

They didn't know what was going on. All they knew was it had something to do with their mother.

* * *

When morning came the three had returned safe and sound. Many of the monsters asked why they had left during the night and he replied with a simple answer that his mother had reached out to him. Needless to say, a majority of the monsters were shocked when he said his mother used to be human but she couldn't be described one anymore. Her ashen skin was as pale as the bone of a Grimm, her eyes were that malevolent red and black that gave veterans nightmares, and the way she spoke about how humanity was flawed made them think she wasn't human at all.

Rei and Ken were bouncing off the walls and practically exploded with happiness so much that it was infectious. The other children were suddenly in a good mood and had to practically beg their parents to let them play, to which they did after some hesitance, and gravitated towards the two. He then announced that he would not be going to the academy anymore, much to the relief of the monsters, and had brought Buck and Brock aside for a task.

 **"I need you two to talk to them."** He said.

 **"I know I can but what about Buck? The kingdom practically knows his face."** Brock asked. This didn't bother the other monster one bit, if it meant ensuring his people were safe from war then he would put aside his differences and go.

 **"I am well aware, Brock. But if it means we don't have to fight a war then it must be done."** Buck said then turned to Ares. **"My King, it shall be done."** He knelt down on his knee.

 **"Good. Brock will translate for you. Both of you will act as my representatives for the matter. Remember though, if they are not happy with the terms and attack or try to capture you then it will be considered an act of war."** Ares said. Both of them nodded and got their gear before heading out. Buck had ordered all the Behemoths to defend their home to the death, they all nodded and prepped their weapons should he come home with heat on his tail.

It didn't take long for them to start heading out. Their journey was silent for the most part, the only time they talked is when Brock showed him a way to avoid the direction of the cameras and come in undetected, to which Buck remembered instantly. The trip went into minutes then tens of minutes before it started to stretch into hours of travel, only stopping to use the bathroom or eat a meal they had caught. There were barely any Grimm due to how much the monsters hunted them and it filled both of them with a sense of peace.

Buck spotted a camera on a tree and gargled some molten spit before throwing his head forward and watching as the lava bomb slammed against the camera and melted it in the span of a couple seconds before the tree cracked and toppled over from the heat. They looked at one another before continuing their journey. Brock could tell they were a couple of minutes away from the initiation grounds and warned the other monster that there were cameras everywhere and to be careful of what actions he took.

Once they were in the initiation grounds all the cameras zoomed in on them. It didn't take a genius to tell that they were being watched and Buck could only bear his canines at every single camera that zoomed in on them. While Brock looked at least somewhat tame, Buck was completely wild in terms of appearance and personality. His pants were nothing but bison skin and wolf fur while his boots were made of elk, his coat was made of an Ursa hide and his weapons were his fists and club. He could give less than two shits how he looked in front of hunters.

There were very few Grimm that had stalked towards them but had backed off for some reason. They must have been older because the younger ones charged right at them and lunged, only to have their snouts caved in when Buck smashed his fists against them. He ripped their heads off effortlessly and threw their bodies away before continuing the journey to the famed hunter school.

Another hour passed by and they were at the cliff. Brock looked at Buck then jumped up and dug his hands into the cliff and started to climb quickly. Buck on the other hand jumped up and practically shoved his whole hand in the cliff before he started to practically gallop up the cliff, using both his arms and legs to scale the rock formation quickly. It went without saying that he wasn't a monster to be trifled with, each puncture in the stone he made created a large, noticeable dent in the cliff. It took maybe four minutes for Brock to get up there while it took Buck half that time until he leaped up and landed over the edge and looked down to see Brock not far behind.

 **"This place smells disgusting."** Buck commented as he looked at Beacon with slight disgust. He never really liked man-made structures too much.

 **"Yeah, the view isn't for everyone."** Brock dusted himself off then began to lead them to Ozpin's tower.

 **"So many eyes watching us. I feel like we're marching into a trap."** Buck said. He snarled savagely at the group of students and made them run away in fear. It took a slight scolding from Brock to make him pay attention to the task at hand. There were so many eyes on them and it made Buck's blood begin to boil, literally since his muscles were beginning to glow a bit. They took a quick detour and eventually ended up in the hallway where Brock's room was, inconveniently it was down the hall from the girls', making the bigger Behemoth narrow his eyes when he was assaulted with so many scents that it threw his senses into overdrive. While Brock was in his room looking for a trivial thing, Buck was looking at the wall and scratching away the paint with a feral grin on his face.

"BROCK!" Someone's voice shouted at Buck before a mass collided with his back and made him stumble a bit, he could tell it was a girl judging by the pitch of the voice. "Listen, dad and uncle Qrow are mad at you for some reason, do you know what it's about?" The person asked. Buck didn't answer the girl and kept scratching at the paint, maybe Brock was done with putting his shit away so that he could go home.

"Are you okay? You seem tense. Did Yang say something? Are you two breaking up?" The girl questioned. She heard the door to her left open and widened her eyes when she saw Brock's confused face then looked back to the person in front her. If Brock was to her left... then who was the person in front of her?

"Ruby... let go of him." Brock said slowly. She did what he said and backed up before widening her eyes when she saw the man in front of her glare at her with those wild blue eyes. Huge would be an understatement, the man before her was a complete giant. His hair was wild, the tusks on his lower jaw were sharp enough to puncture someone's skin like a hot knife through butter.

 **"Are you done?"** Buck snarled while he still looked at Ruby. The poor girl was practically shaking in her boots while staring at him fearfully.

"Now I am. Stop staring at her, she's obviously scared." Brock sighed.

 **"... Fine. You are lucky he is here, girl."** Buck walked past her and marched to the end of the hall. Brock sighed and sent Ruby an apologetic smile while he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly and went up to Buck with some files in his hands. The two made their way outside of the dorm house and into the courtyard, a majority of the students creating a pathway when the giant looked over them.

* * *

Ozpin sighed at the report he was just given and tapped his foot rapidly up and down. Glynda fixed her glasses numerous times when she read the report also, this wasn't good. This wasn't good at all. Two other individuals were in the room with them, looking stoic as a statue.

"What is it?" Qrow asked.

"The council demand we do something about Ares' tribe." Ozpin said.

"Like, capture them? I don't think they realize what kind of threat that guy poses. So far he's killed numerous huntsmen like they were bugs and he's displaying their bodies up like a piece of art." Qrow replied.

"Exactly why I don't wish to trifle with them. He's dangerous when he's alone but when he's with others, he's almost unstoppable. I sent three veteran teams after him and they turned up dead a day later, claiming that monsters the size of a Goliath was tailing them before they went silent..." Ozpin said. It was quiet for a while before Glynda spoke up.

"From what Brock has said, he doesn't seem interested in us anymore. It's clear he's extremely territorial as displayed when eliminating the teams." She said.

"It still doesn't explain the recent decline in Grimm, Ozpin." The man in white said.

"It's him, Jimmy. That _thing_ is killing everything that even comes close to his home. He's managed to do something that hasn't been done in centuries and that's lower the Grimm population." Qrow said. James Ironwood scoffed at the claim but then remembered something a few months ago about some secret faunus tribe that displayed unique abilities. He then saw on the news about a massacre in Vale when these so called faunus broke out of containment and killed everything in their path, including the staff at the research facility.

"That's... highly unlikely." The woman in white stated.

"Schnee, it just might be true. We had reports of a faunus tribe in the mountains of Atlas that displayed similar abilities." Ironwood scratched his chin.

"They're in Atlas too?" Glynda asked.

"Yes, I sent my men to retrieve a few of them for questioning..." He trailed off.

"And?" Qrow asked.

"We found their bodies scattered across the forest. One soldier managed to injure one of them when he followed them into a cave, he said they had some sort of armor that naturally covered their bodies. He's currently in therapy as of now." Ironwood sighed.

"I'm almost afraid to ask why." Ozpin said.

"He kept reporting that they were eating their victims. Soldiers that had been reported missing from previous dates were found mutilated. He said that they didn't eat him because they must have been full. The children were what scared him the most though, their term of playing was actually vicious bites that left deep wounds in his arms and legs. He escaped when they were sleeping and crawled to the nearest camp." Winter coughed in her hand. She remembered hearing the man blubber about monsters in a cave and scoffed at the idea, only to be filled with enough death to haunt her for the upcoming days when she found teams of soldiers scattered across the cave.

When she stormed the cave with a team of soldiers, she didn't take into account that half of them would be sticking to the walls. She remembered leaving one of the soldiers when the monsters swarmed her and the team, the screams of agony as he was eaten alive by the massive ones that seemed to come out of the cave walls themselves. They had been chased all the way back to camp and prepped for an assault but were taken aback when the monsters seemed to come out of the snow and were just watching them from a distance before turning around and leaving. That day would haunt her for the rest of her life.

"There seem to be... variations of them." She said.

"We already know of two." Glynda said.

"What?" Ironwood and Winter halted to a stop and looked at her. The elevator rang and everyone's eyes waited for the elevator number to reach their level before it stopped and the doors opened. They heard talking and Qrow narrowed his eyes at the doors while Glynda narrowed her eyes at him. She knew who it was and couldn't help but feel regret when she heard what Qrow and Taiyang had done to the boy. A rather nasty looking gash and a broken rib because he was dating their niece/daughter and he didn't bother trying to stop Ares from escaping.

The doors opened up and they saw Brock walk out with some files in his hand, making the residents from Atlas stiffen immensely. Those were confidential files. They all took a step back when there was a massive faunus behind Brock, he was at least a foot taller than the boy. Brock was seven feet tall, give or take maybe an inch or two shorter, this man was a healthy eight feet tall with a bored look on his face. His untamed appearance and the scent of the forest made it very clear that he was from the tribe out there. Closer inspection made them realize that he was one of the escaped monsters from the city.

"Kid." Qrow bit.

"Drunk. I still see that you're drinking your problems away." Brock snapped back. There was a feral chuckle that made them look at the man, who was busy laughing at the comeback. Qrow just muttered something underneath his breath and turned away.

"Brock, what brings you back." Ozpin asked.

"Well, my stay was over and Ares sent Buck and I to come to a sort of... common ground to avoid the war." Brock shrugged nonchalantly. Everyone in the room stiffened, how did he know that?

"There was never talk of war." Glynda tried to reassure.

"Ms. Goodwitch, please don't play coy with me. It doesn't take my advanced hearing to figure out the council want to go to war with the monsters." He said. It was obvious he knew what would happen and was acting as a representative for the monsters.

"May I ask why you have Atlas files?" Ironwood gestured.

"Oh, you know... Ares gave them to me when he escaped that horrible place you sent him. I think I'll keep these, honestly, there's a lot of juicy stuff that will surely tarnish Atlas' current standing." Brock waved the files around, making both Winter and Ironwood stiffen.

"What's he talking about?" Qrow narrowed his eyes.

"You should know, drunk. After all, you drugged Ares." Brock grinned.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Qrow turned away.

"Liar. I'll enlighten you all. Ares went to the forest, fought you, beat your ass blue, you drug him, he gets taken to a 'research facility' in Vale, they do loads of horrible things to him, he escapes, we build a community away from civilization, you all want to go to war, the rest is history." Brock listed. Ozpin and Glynda turned to the other three in the room.

"What horrible things happened to him?" Glynda asked slowly.

"Are you in for a treat-" Brock opened the file.

"Don't!" Ironwood shouted suddenly.

"Why not? Are you afraid of what they'll do when they find out, or are you simply afraid of your sins coming to light?" Brock asked. Buck on the other hand clenched his fists tighter and tighter when he looked at the pictures of that place. There were so many horrible memories and seeing two people from the kingdom that accepted this made his blood boil at an alarming rate.

 **"Show them, Brock."** Buck snarled, putting the others on edge.

"I would usually want to hear what they say but I feel like I'm doing the monsters justice." Brock cleared his throat and began to read the contents. Minutes passed by and Ozpin and Glynda's eyes slowly started to widen in horror when they heard what type of research was happening right underneath their noses. This had been going on for years and not a single person noticed that these monsters had experienced hell itself. Buck's eyes glowed so brightly and his snarling got to the point where his saliva was starting to drip from his maw, showing those canines meant for tearing flesh off bones.

Illegal experimentation that was shunned everywhere yet Atlas had been funding this so called "research" for years and thought nothing wrong of it. Glynda's eyes were so cold that they could freeze the most blazing inferno, there were limits that had to be taken. Creating new weapons was pushing it, especially if it fell in the wrong hands, but this... this was going beyond all boundaries. Experimentation was a vile act on adults but to do it on children? It was downright evil. It didn't help that the children had their limbs and organs taken and treated like experiments rather than free beings.

Ozpin had seen a lot of evil acts since man could wield magic and he had slightly participated in some of these acts but never once did he experiment on children. He may have gotten numerous people killed and each death brought a new weight of guilt to him but never once had he prolonged a person's suffering then using their bodies in such twisted ways of this so called "science". This was crossing the line, even for him.

"Kid, that's enough." Qrow stood up and marched towards Brock but Buck blocked his way and gave a feral snarl at him.

"Ah ah ah." Brock waved his finger then held up his scroll. "How would your nieces feel knowing that their uncle had participated in someone's kidnapping and subjected to a series of twisted experiments?" He asked, waving his scroll around. Qrow felt himself grabbed and thrown into his seat while Buck just stood by, glaring at the four adults in the room. He saw Brock take a series of photos with his scroll before pocketing it and turning back to them.

"You made a mistake." Winter glared.

"Hmm, that may be. You're missing one thing though... how would your baby sister feel when she finds out her idolized sibling participated in such actions?" He asked. Her eyes widened at the thought of her loving little sister shunning her for the rest of her life.

"And people often ask me why I'm disappointed in humanity and faunus kind." He shook his head. The atmosphere was so tense that even Buck shifted around.

 **"You have them wrapped around your finger. Discuss the terms."** Buck said.

"Right, so now that you're all listening and know the backstory. Let's discuss the terms to avoid the war. Ares, before I left, said that he owned all of Emerald forest aside from the initiation grounds. He's letting you keep this as a sign of peace. He also wants you to stay out of his territory and he won't kill anyone. If they take the warning that he first gives them then he's willing to let them go. You all take a single monster from the colony, it's considered an act of war. You harm either Buck or I, it's considered an act of war. You bring an invading army and attack the colony, it's an act of war. In other words, Ares won't attack anyone if they stay out of his territory, same rules apply for him. Personally, I think he's being rather generous." Brock explained. There was no wiggle room about this matter, nothing to dissuade the two monsters in the room from their current terms.

Essentially this was a warning, leave us alone or else.

"We reject. Atlas and every other kingdom will come to Vale's aid for this upcoming conflict." Ironwood said. Everyone looked at him and Buck's eyes narrowed dangerously, was this man really going to risk it when he wasn't even part of the country?

"This isn't up to you, James. This is a matter that Vale needs to decide." Ozpin said.

"No, as a friend, I'm not willing to back down and watch a country fall to a group of rabid monsters." He pointed at the two. Buck was getting ready to lunge forward and rip into the man's torso but Brock held his hand out, he had a calm grin that made him calm in return.

"You are really going to risk the partnership with an ally kingdom all for a petty war that could be avoided. No wonder mankind is doomed, such arrogance and destruction for a race that perceives themselves to be the dominant species." Brock shook his head. He could tell he was his father's son.

"This is not up to you, James!" Glynda shouted.

"No, no... he doesn't want to comply with our terms, then I'll just tell Ares this was a waste of time. I gave you all a fair chance and judging by how that fleet arriving in the distance, I assume you all won't have much say anyways. You know Atlas, prideful until the death. Buck, you can go and tell him, I'm sure he would _love_ to hear how they don't want to accept the fact that we want to be left alone." Brock said calmly.

 **"He would've made the smarter decisions in his life had they accepted."** Buck shook his head and stopped at the elevator. **"You coming?"** He asked.

"Yeah, just a sec." Brock said before the turned to the four adults in the room. "This is your final chance to stay at peace with us. We just wanted to be left alone. That's all we want. Now you've started a war with a race that outclasses you. So you can hide behind your walls, behind your guns and weapons, you can even hide behind each other. Know when the monsters come out to play... they play for keeps." He grinned and entered the elevator. All was silent for the next several minutes before Ozpin muttered one thing.

"What have you done?" He whispered.

* * *

Ares was surrounded by other elder monsters. Buck had returned a few days ago and said that civilization would not let this go, making his worst fears become reality. Was it so much to ask to be left alone? Here they were, living in peace and not even attempting to destroy anything except threats yet humanity wants to rage a petty war to keep some sort of dignity. On the bright side though, Brock releasing that evidence of what happened in that lab had strained the relationship between Vale and Atlas. Tensions between the two kingdoms was so high that it began to draw Grimm.

 **"We must show them the true strength of the monsters!"** A Goliath roared, a chorus of roars made the Goliath nod his head.

 **"But what of the little ones and mothers? Will they fight too? The sick and weak? Will they have to take up arms even thought their bodies are in such a state?"** Mathias asked. He was always the one who thought of those, who could blame him though, his old mate and previous child died to such circumstances.

 **"Then how are we to display our dominance as the apex species?"** The Goliath said.

 **"By fighting them on our turf. We know these woods better than anyone else."** The Corpse-Eater chimed in. It was his job as the General of the army to organize and plan accordingly. Before he knew it, it was a series of snarls and roars as both sides began arguing on how they should defeat this threat to their home before Ares gave a loud roar that silenced everyone in the colony. No one dared to utter a word when they saw his expression.

 **"We do both. We'll do skirmishes while remaining on our territory and destroy anyone who dares threaten our way of life. We don't have to collide with them head on, we just need to outlast them. Their food and supplies need to be processed. Our's doesn't. They need Dust and contraptions to fight battles, we don't. Push comes to shove, we fight them head on but eventually... they will wither away and die."** He said as he picked up some dirt and let it fall to the ground below. They could see in his eyes that he was ready to fight, like he had been during the escape to the city.

 **"Then... it is settled. We will fight head on in our turf while doing hit and runs."** The Corpse-Eater decided. They all nodded and began to slowly disperse while he remained at the meeting spot a little longer before he stalked into the cave. He saw Michelle and Sistine in the bed, with the former glaring at him tiredly. She had a small round bump on her stomach and he could only nuzzle it gently while ignoring her annoyed groans. Sistine woke up and he let out gentle rumbles and kissed her cheek before kissing Michelle's gently. They were his, both of them knew that, granted he had one more but she was too embarrassed to ever confess.

 **"You did this to me. I hate you."** Michelle growled tiredly.

 **"It takes two. You can't say that you didn't enjoy it."** He smirked. **"You too, Sistine. Don't say you didn't enjoy it, because you did. I've never seen you make that face before."** He grinned. Both of their faces turned red and he enjoyed seeing it, it was always humorous to see them go from monsters to embarrassed girls when he mentions their private moments. They both reached up and gently held one of their hands to his cheeks and it was this moment did he realize how fortunate he had it. He had siblings that were crazy yet loving and kept him sane, he was officially royal blood as of now, and he had two beautiful mates, possibly three, that loved him no matter how violent he was. He didn't want to tell them that a war was coming but he needed to, he needed them to be ready should he perish and left them alone.

 **"Ares? Ares, what's wrong?"** Sistine asked, noticing his face fall slightly and he looked away.

 **"Civilization didn't agree to my terms... they are preparing for war."** He said. They looked at him and noticed that he had that face that held a thousand words, they knew he was preparing a plan for the risks to come but couldn't help but feel... saddened. When they looked at him for the most part he was a proud King and loving family member, but now... he looked like a man who feared of what to come. He felt Michelle's hand guide his towards her stomach and he felt the small bump on it, this was his child and both knew it.

 **"What were your terms?"** Michelle asked.

 **"I own a majority of Emerald forest while they own the initiation grounds, I'll give a one and only warning to those who stumble on our territory, and won't even bother attacking unless** **provoked."** He said.

 **"That seems like a good set of terms. Why did they not take it?"** Sistine asked.

 **"The General of Atlas decided that war was a more fitting solution, he let his pride get to him."** He answered. Both of them sighed and held the sides of his face in a hand while he just leaned into their embrace. He felt a small sense of peace with them right here. As much as he wanted to stay here and nuzzle them to death, he needed to do his duties for the day. He nipped them one last time and smiled when they gave those laughs he loved before standing up and leaving the cave.

* * *

Michelle tossed and turned in the bed. She didn't know if it was because her belly was starting to get bigger over four months and she couldn't get in a more comfortable position or it was because she was hungry, she did have another mouth to feed after all. Turning her gaze to him, she saw that he was asleep and so was Sistine, her face went to a pout and sighed a bit before smirking and getting up. Quietly going to the cooler and reaching inside, she grabbed a piece of elk and stuffed it in her mouth before grabbing another piece and rushing back to bed before the cold air got to her.

 **"You plan on sharing?"** Ares whispered behind her.

 **"Nope."** She said then ate the rest of the meat. He mocked a gasp then was on top of her, making her give a smile at him. Her hands were pinned next to her head while he just hovered over her and gave those nibbles that she usually craved for. Those sharp canines of his were surprisingly gentle against her neck, it often made her purr like she was in heat and desired even the most basic contact. Her blue eyes stared into his orange ones passionately before closing them when their lips met. She tasted like a sweet mixture of blueberries in his opinion. A warm breath tickled his ear and a nibble soon followed after, making the both of them turn to see Sistine smirking at them.

He smirked back and pinned her next, making her quietly yelp in surprise. She laughed when he nibbled her next then blew into her neck with a gentle flame. There was no one in the cave except those three so they didn't have to worry about the noise. She peered up into his eyes before kissing him, closing her eyes and wrapping her arms around his neck. In his opinion; she tasted like a coconut, or what he would assume what a coconut would taste like. Both the girls scooted closer to one another so that he could direct his attention to each one respectively, it was his daily dose of affection for the two. They exchanged playful nibbles with each other for several minutes before they heard yawning and a sigh of relief near the entrance.

 **"Hey, you guys mind if I-"** Arachne stopped when she saw the three look at her from under the covers. Her face lit up a scarlet color and she gulped when she could faintly see that they were barely wearing any clothes. Both of the female Goliaths faces were tinted red and they were faintly panting.

 **"Mind if you what?"** He asked.

 **"Uh, nothing... I'll just leave."** She gulped uncomfortably.

 **"What'd you need?"** He asked. She mumbled something under her breath and began to turn away before Sistine called her and beckoned her closer.

 **"What'd you need? You came here for a reason."** Sistine said.

 **"I was wondering if I could... sleep with you guys. It's cold in my nest and I really don't like the cold."** Arachne murmured. The three looked at one another then back at her to see that she really was cold, her body shivered slightly and she looked uncomfortable. They really didn't see the reason to deny her, especially since she was close to them.

 **"Don't see the reason not to."** He shrugged, making her blink. It took a bit of coaxing but she eventually climbed into the bed with them and gave little chitters when she felt her temperature heat up a bit. The three huddled closer to him and let out pleasurable sighs before falling asleep. He squeezed them a bit and slowly shuffled out from the sleeping heap before going to the back of the cave to relieve himself. When he finished and cleaned up a bit, he was heading back to but stopped when he saw Michelle rub her stomach a bit and crack a small smile. He quietly went to the side of the bed and rubbed his hand against her belly and sent gentle rumbles. Her hands cupped the side of his face and her thumb brushed against it softly.

 **"You're such a big softy now."** She teased.

 **"Says the one who used to be such a hard ass."** He retorted. It was quiet for a while as the two just basked in the silence peacefully. **"Have you thought of a name?"** He asked.

 **"Mathias said from the looks of it, it's a girl. I want her name to be Emma."** She said.

 **"Emma?"** He asked.

 **"Mhmm."** She hummed. He didn't really think of a name up until now but if she seemed happy about her choice then who was he to argue? She had really mellowed out over the time he had met her, her hard ass attitude was really a facade, or it was most of the time. The only time she got territorial was with him or somebody pissed her off to the point where she would openly attack them. Other than that, she was a sweet, caring monster who loved her family as much as she loved her people. He sent a few more quiet rumbles her way and waited until she fell asleep before going out of the cave and towards the gate.

He hadn't seen Eli in a few days and felt the need to do so, tell him the news of what was happening. It always pained him to see the grave at first glance but the pain slowly faded the longer he spent there. After all, it has been a year since his passing... an entire year since his first born died. He just hoped he did right by his second born and kept her in this world.

* * *

Time seemed to fly by at the monster home. Before he knew it, it was late winter. He was crouching on a branch with Rei and Ken while other monsters waited patiently for him to give the signal to attack. During the winter months, he often hunted Elk due to their large size and fur, predators often provided large amounts of materials too if they were lucky enough to encounter some. He equipped his bow and pulled out an arrow before drawing it back, listening to it stretch and lined up the shot before letting the arrow fly into the nearest Elk's neck. The arrow had enough force to fly though its spine and kill it instantly, startling the others in the herd. Numerous monsters sprung from their spot on the branches and descended down upon a few Elk.

A few bulls were quickly killed when a few Goliaths slammed their fists on their skulls, killing them instantly. Others were killed when Wraiths would warp to them and cut their throats open with their talons. The rest of the herd managed to escape and the monster didn't pursue them, they still needed food and would let the animals repopulate before hunting them at this scale again. In total, there were at least nine adult Elk that were killed and it would be enough for the monsters. Some of the monsters gave a chorus of roars at their successful hunt while others looked around for any threats, brushing it off when their stomachs rumbled.

Ken saw some different tracks and started to follow them while everyone was counting the kills. He knew that they needed to head back but his curiosity got the better of him and he started to follow them until he reached a small cliff. The tracks suddenly ended and he knelt down to inspect them before standing up. When he turned around, a mountain lion sprung at him and knocked the both of them over the edge and down the hill. His body tumbled down the slope and rolled roughly before his back slammed into a tree.

 **"O-Ow."** He whimpered as he struggled to get up. There were snarls as the mountain lion flailed around to get up and it finally did, looking around and stalking towards him. It sprung at him and he used his wings to levitate into the air and avoid the attack but not before it managed to claw his shoulder and draw blood, splattering it against the snow. It screamed at him and he sucked in air before letting a vortex out, throwing the big cat into the snow and watching it skid across the ground. His wings straightened up as they cackled with electricity before slamming down and releasing a lighting strike, tearing the animal in half and splattering its innards all over the snow. He winced as he leaned against the tree and saw Ares as he jumped down the hill and knelt next to him, holding his wound.

 **"I told you earlier not to stray too far off. Predators get desperate in the winter."** He said as he released some sludge from his mouth and applied it to his wound.

 **"I know, I know."** Ken winced when he felt the burning sensation heal his wound. It took a minute but it eventually hardened and broke off, revealing claw marks that were nothing but mere scars at this point. Ares observed the scars before going to the mountain lion and tearing the head off then burning the flesh away. Nothing but the skull was left and he handed it to Ken, who looked down at it.

 **"You fought it, you keep the kill. Those are the rules."** He smiled. Ken took the skull slowly and carried it before a smile adorned his face, this was the good part of hunting, the trophies you collected when a kill was made. Rei slid down the hill and landed next to them while looking at the skull in wonder before she looked at him.

 **"Next time, don't be such a dummy."** She stuck her tongue out when she lifted her mask.

 **"Hey, at least I got a cool skull. What do you have?"** Ken retorted.

 **"I got those cool Nevermore skulls."** She waved.

 **"Uh huh... not as cool as these scars and skulls. All you do is play with those little bugs underneath the rocks. Only weirdos do that."** He said.

 **"Why you little..."** She tackled him and started to wrestle him while shouting profanities at him. He laughed at her and started to tease her but screamed when she started to twist his wing at an awkward angle.

 **"Ow, ow! Stop!"** He cried out.

 **"Say uncle and I will!"** She shouted.

 **"Never!"** He forced out then wrapped his tail around her throat and pulled her off. It was clear the two weren't going to quit bickering and he pulled them apart. He carried Ken on his back while putting Rei underneath his right arm, it didn't stop them from shouting at one another childishly. The three headed up the slope and eventually made it back to the group. They already had the Elk strung up and were currently waiting for them before heading back to the village, he called it a colony but it was more of a village than anything.

It took an hour and a half but they eventually made it back to the village, watching as the gates opened and monsters crowded around them. There was shrieking and hooting near the cave that made him look up towards it. One of the Wraith midwives shrieked at him then pointed towards the cave, making him set his siblings down and brush past the numerous monsters and up the slope towards the cave. Had he known this was happening then he would've washed the skull paint off his face but now wasn't the time. He followed her into the cave where more of them in their medical masks made of soft grass resided. They were all crowded near somebody but moved out of the way when they saw a hand reach out.

The metallic smell entered his nose but he ignored it and took the hand to see Michelle reaching out towards him. Her face was coated with sweat and she was in pain but still managed to smile at him when she saw him. He was brought close and knelt near her and looked into her eyes before she let out a few quiet noises of agony. This went on for the next several minutes before a small cry broke the silence of the cave. A small smile tugged at his lips when he saw that tiny body wail her little lungs out. Michelle had a few deep breaths and seemed exhausted but kept her eyes open and looked at him. Sistine had done everything and was currently with the other female monsters cleaning the infant. A few minutes later they had her wrapped up and handed her to her parents but also moved in closer.

He took her and sat on the bed while staring at her. She was a tiny thing; weighing what he assumed was six pounds, had dark hair like him but fair skin like her mother, her eyes were a mystery since they were shut but he could only assume what they were. He thanked the midwives and dismissed them while the royal family children entered the cave and gathered around slowly.

 **"Come on you guys."** He gestured them over. They shuffled over slowly and were eventually gathered around, staring curiously at the tiny bundle in Michelle's arms. Their eyes were filled with wonder as they stared at her and winced a bit when she started to cry.

 **"She's loud."** Andy commented as he clutched his ears.

 **"Of course dummy, she's a baby. All of them are loud."** Frost smacked him in the arm. They were pulled closer to the bed and sat in front of it by Sistine, who just smiled at the scene before her while subconsciously rubbing her stomach. It wasn't clear on how much time had passed since they all sat in the cave but it must have been a few hours since the sky was dark. Michelle eventually fell asleep and Sistine took Emma from her arms and rocked her back and forth gently. The children opted to spend the night in the cave and lied out furs on the ground and either fell asleep or made trinkets. He just sat next to Sistine and leaned his head against hers while taking Emma from her arms.

 **"What made you want to name her Emma?"** She asked.

 **"It was her idea. She didn't know why, she just wanted the girl's name to be Emma."** He answered truthfully. She hummed pleasantly and leaned her head against his shoulder before both of them perked up when Arachne strode in the cave. She sat near them and gazed at the tiny bundle in his arms with wonder. He handed his daughter to her gently and watched as she carried the tiny infant with a gentleness he's never seen before. Ten minutes passed by before Michelle sat up and made a small grabbing gesture and took her daughter gently in her hands. She lifted her shirt and started to feed her quietly while breathing in content. It just felt natural.

 **"You guys should change your bedding, smells like blood."** Arachne pointed out.

 **"We'll do it later."** Michelle said quietly.

 **"Well... it stinks right now so..."** Arachne said as she tugged at the sheets and managed to pull them off before being smacked in the face with a tail.

 **"I will gut you like a boar."** Michelle threatened. He chuckled when he saw her attitude resurface before turning when Buck and the Corpse-Eater entered the cave and bowed.

 **"Congratulations on the birth and we have something to discuss with you."** Buck said urgently.

 **"What is it?"** Ares asked while brushing his hand over Emma's head gently.

 **"Soldiers have been spotted near the edge of the lake."** The Corpse-Eater informed, making him stop brushing his hand. They saw his face harden and he got his gear on.

 **"Show me."** He ordered and followed them out of the cave with a murderous expression.

* * *

Buck and the Corpse-Eater led him to a spot where the soldiers were crowding together, wearing tundra camouflage. Ares' eyes glowed brightly when he witnessed them, his face was flat but the other two monsters could tell it held a tranquil fury. They understood why though, today was a special day and civilization had the audacity to try and storm his home like they had every right. Each time they hopped on a branch and observed from above, the more they started to hate the intruders. It was clear they must have been new or experienced due to how they moved and kept looking in each other's blind spots but they didn't see him nor the other two.

It must have been an hour of waiting until they saw one of them stray from the group, most likely to use the bathroom. He looked at the Corpse-Eater and he nodded back before silently jumping from branch to branch until he was right above the soldier, his face twisting into a feral grin. Reaching behind him and grabbing a stone shard with a rope attached to it, he threw it at blinding speeds and grinned when it pierced the soldier's neck. If a monster threw an object fast enough and sharp enough at a vital area, they could pierce the user's aura with ease.

The soldier gagged violently and tried to hold the wound in his throat before he felt himself hauled up into the air and dangled like a puppet. He twisted around while trying to dislodge the shard from his neck before he came face to face with the Corpse-Eater, who was staring at him with a smile, before slowly fading into darkness. His body was spun around a few times and shaken to make sure he was dead before being left to dangle on the branch. Blood leaked from the wound and dribbled down the body and into the snow with a soft dripping noise.

Ares saw the Corpse-Eater make a slicing gesture against his neck and nodded at him. The three peered at the soldiers once again and watched as they began to look around for their missing companion, calling out his name but receiving no answer. Three of them went searching and carefully scanned their surroundings while Ares just looked at Buck and slammed his fist against his hand. The Behemoth nodded and sprung from the tree, he landed on the ground with a loud thump before taking off after the three soldiers. Both Goliaths watched as he was practically stomping towards the three soldiers noisily, subtly was never his thing.

 **"He will alert them."** The Corpse-Eater said as he watched the massive monster close in on the three quickly.

 **"Buck has the best defense out of the two of us. He will survive their rounds."** Ares replied, bringing out his bow. He waited until he heard the tell tale sign of fighting before took action.

Buck was surprisingly quiet for a Behemoth, it helped when you had to stalk your prey long distances, which is what these soldiers were. He saw that they came across their dead companion and quietly got behind them. It seemed they were slightly aware of his presence since they turned around quicker than what he had expected and shined their flashlights on him. They began to open fire at his chest while he just growled in pain and shielded his face when he felt the rounds slam into him, taking his armor away little by little. Quickly rushing up the first one, he gripped her by the neck and lifted her into the air before throwing her into a tree. The next one he used his fissure to knock him into the air then slammed his fist against his stomach and knocked him away. Soldier number three ducked underneath one of his swipes and managed to stab him in the stomach but had his head crushed underneath a giant fist in return.

A gurgling noise erupted from his throat and he spat a lava bomb at the first soldier's face. She didn't have time to scream before the lava literally began to eat away at her flesh and bone. He merely moved to the side when the clusters impacted the ground. More rounds impacted his back and he suddenly whirled around to latch his tongue onto the last soldier, bringing him towards his open jaw where a rather sharp set of teeth awaited. The last thing the soldier saw was red when Buck bit down violently on his face and crushed it like a grape.

The sound of footsteps running towards him made him grin a bit when he smelled the last five. All of them aimed their guns at him but jumped back in slight surprise when Ares leaped down from the branch he was on and tackled one of them to the ground. He grinned and gripped the man's leg before swinging onto the ground two times before using his body to smack some of them away. Spinning around quickly, he tossed the man into the trees where the Corpse-Eater was waiting and caught the man. His screams echoed throughout the night as he flailed around in agony when he felt sharp teeth mutilate his neck. Blood flew from the body and literally began to rain down onto the snow and paint it red.

Ares growled in pain when he felt rounds slam into his body and begin to take his armor away. It hurt like hell which forced him to leap across the trees and avoid them while Buck just tanked more and soaked up a majority of the damage. While he did that, the Corpse-Eater jumped off the branch he was on and tackled the squad leader, clamping onto his wrist with his jaws and tearing it apart before howling in agony when he felt a serrated edge knife slash his face. Breathing in air, he burned the Sergeant alive then jumped onto the next one and sunk his jaws into her neck before ripping it out.

The last two began to fire at them while backing up little by little before tossing something on the ground. The three looked at the cylinder shape item before roaring out in surprise and pain when it exploded and blinded them. A horrible ringing noise pierced their ears and they snarled while shaking their heads furiously to get it out. Ten seconds had gone by and their senses began to return to them, the soldiers were gone but they could barely see them rushing towards something in the distance. They immediately took chase and started to cover ground at an alarming rate.

They vaulted over fallen trees and rocks then took to quickly climbing the trees and jumping across the branches. Buck managed to jump a large distance and land on a large branch that was close to one of the soldiers before flicking his tongue out, grabbing the man by the leg.

"No!" The man screamed as he felt his body dragged across the snowy ground and towards the monsters. He quickly brought out his knife and slashed at Buck's tongue, making the Behemoth roar in pain and immediately let go. Quickly getting up and following his companion, he started to enter the bullhead, only to gasp in agony when a fist burst through his chest. He shakily looked down to see his heart in a clawed hand before it twisted and was ripped out, leaving him to look at the last soldier and the pilot before falling over dead.

The last two survivors looked up to see Ares walk inside of the bullhead along with Buck and the Corpse-Eater, each one having malicious expressions on their faces. Each one of them had wounds that would put a normal person down but they weren't normal people. Ares had bullet wounds in his arms and chest, Buck had a cut on his tongue from the last victim, and the Corpse-Eater had a very nasty slash on his face that would scar in the future. They marched closer and the soldier raised his weapon and began to fire it, only stopping when it ran empty. As he began to reload it, Ares ripped the weapon away from his grasp and snatched him up by the neck, raising him effortlessly. He threw him out of the vehicle and into the snow before snapping his fingers for the two behind him. Both his loyal monsters nodded then went to go deal with the pilot, ignoring the man's pleas of mercy.

"You fucking monster!" The man shouted as he brought out his pistol, only to scream in pain when his wrist was twisted at an odd angle and exposed the bone. He felt his head forced up and his eyes widened in fear when he saw the other monsters mutilate the pilot, grabbing both halves of his body then begin to pull, all while a grin was on their faces. Flesh and bone began to tear apart from the strength of the monsters before they body split into two. Splattering blood and organs all over the pristine metal floor and walls. Feral roars were heard from the bullhead and the soldier could only stare with a shell-shocked expression, not noticing the other two march up to him and stare down at him.

 **"What will we do with this worm?"** Buck gestured, flicking his hands free of the blood.

 **"I know civilization is watching, so let them drown in their despair."** Ares answered.

 **"The lake?"** The Corpse-Eater asked.

 **"The lake."** Ares nodded then tied the man with some rope. The three ignored the man when he asked where he was being brought, shutting him up by either kicking him or clawing his face and torso. The tiny camera on the man's chest was capturing everything as he was dragged through the snow. It took about half an hour but they eventually arrived at the lake where he was thrown onto the shore.

 **"You attack my home, try to kill me or my family and think you can get away with it? You are mistaken."** Ares snarled as he dunked the soldier's head into the lake, ignoring the thrashing. Frigid water splashed against his face but he paid no mind and continued to drown the man. Time slowly passed by and the thrashing became more violent as the man started to take in water in a desperate attempt to get oxygen in his lungs. It eventually stopped after a few minutes and he finally brought the head out of the water and stared at it for a second before slicing open the neck and watching the blood spill into the water.

 **"Go home, you two. I will clean up these scum."** Ares said as he crouched down.

 **"Do you need help?"** Buck asked.

 **"No, rest up and heal your wounds."** Ares said as sludge began to pile up around him and encase him. They shrugged and began to head back to the village, not worrying about their wounds but rather their what civilization had in store for them.

* * *

Rei, Ken, and Frost trotted into the cave with new items in their hands. Brock had finally been able to visit the village and a lot of the monsters were excited to see what he had in stock. He always brought little items that helped them create weapons or knowledge about the war, often giving monsters a heads up on what was going to happen next. He got Ken a little box to store fish in and Rei a tiny sewing kit to make pillows and blankets; Frost had a very sharp hatchet that she intended to use in the future. In fact, he had a little hut that held shelves for everyone to see his wares. He was their trader that came by with new items that always seemed to run out each time he visited, all he asked for as payment was crafted items or food.

On the bed was Michelle softly swaying back and forth as the her daughter snoozed quietly in her arms. She smiled as the infant shifted around a bit before getting a little bit more comfortable. The three older children peered over her shoulders and stared at the tiny infant that was sleeping. The girls gushed while Ken just stuck out his tongue then poked Emma in her stomach, earning a stern glare from Michelle. She told him to go sit down and waited patiently for him to do so. He kept poking the infant until she had to practically shout at him to stop and go sit down.

It wasn't until Ares came in the cave and told him to sit down did things take a turn for the worse. Ken's cheeks puffed and he strained himself until his face began to turn red from it. Ares sighed angrily and picked up the younger sibling and planted him on the bed then ordered him to stop acting like a brat. Ken began screaming and thrashing around wildly which woke Emma up and caused her to start crying.

He watched as his brother continued to have a temper tantrum and throw things around the cave, there was no telling what set him off today. Emma's wails combined with Ken's screaming of anger pushed Ares to the edge. The girls saw what was happening and walked out of the cave while the boys' bodies started to glow. It took a couple more seconds of Ken's tantrum filled screaming to set Ares over the edge, prompting him to give a loud roar.

 **"Why are you acting like such a goddamn brat?!"** He roared.

 **"Maybe because I want to spend time with you and you're being all 'I don't have time, Ken.' Maybe that's the problem! You don't ever have time to spend time with me!"** Ken shouted back.

 **"Because there are more pressing** **things!"** Ares responded.

 **"Uh huh. You always say that! It's always, "No, Ken, I can't go hunting with you today. I want to spend time with Emma" or "Not today, Ken. Michelle, Sistine, and I are going to spend the night at the Keep." You always make up some excuse not to hang out with me. You take Rei and Frost out to places but I'm always stuck by myself!"** Ken listed.

 **"Rei needs more help since she's showing the supernova ability. You're almost done with your learning about your abilities."** Ares said. It was silent for a while before Ken suddenly lunged at him and snapped his jaws around his forearm, biting through a bit of his armor and into his flesh. He let out a snarl of pain while trying to pry his brother off but felt the canines dig in further. The two rolled around and started to trash the cave, making loud noises. Every time Ken was pried off and held at a distance he would use his claws to sink into another part of his older brother's body; when that was done he would sink his teeth into another part of his brother's body.

The little fight lasted a few minutes until Sistine burst in the cave with Arachne. Their eyes widened when they saw the state of the cave and both boys were bloody with cuts and bruises. Ares was pinning Ken to the ground while he just thrashed around wildly while snapping violently. Both went to separate the brothers. Sistine was having a hard time with Ares while Arachne was having a hard time with Ken. It seemed their fight turned into more of a one sided brawl. They shouted hateful things to one another that made the girls wince at the insults being thrown.

 **"This is why I wish that fall on Shear killed us! So I wouldn't have see your ugly face again! I fucking hate you!"** Ken shouted as loud as he could and squirmed out of Arachnes' grasp. He grabbed a pouch he made then bolted out of the cave. His eyes barely caught sight of his sister's before he ran towards the gate, diving under a little hole he dug under part of the wall. Calls for his name fell on deaf ears as he ran through the snow, without a direction. Time seemed to fade into nothingness because by the time he stopped running, it was beginning to get dark out.

Choked sobs escaped his lips as he fell into the snow. He didn't ask for much, just that his brother would spend a little time with him every once in a while. He was always alone most of the time, Orca had often went with Andy to go see Behemoths test their might against one another and Frost, Lilith, Kyla, and Mimi often hung out with Rei. His older brother was the one person he could always count on, always spend time with him when needed. Ever since he's been King and had another child, he's been busy to the point where he barely sees his siblings.

His sobs became snarls and his vision started to warp. After a few minutes he was snarling while saliva dribbled from his maw and he caught a whiff of an unfamiliar scent. He glided across branches and jumped on some of them to let his stamina rejuvenate before gliding again. An hour and a half of jumping and gliding and he came across a small camp that had people. A voice bounced in his head, it was sweet and feminine, like his mother's. It began to tell him that these people were intruders and wanted to take him away from the wild. It told him to be careful even though they looked unarmed; sometimes looks can be deceiving.

He spotted one near a tent with a gun and his eyes turned to slits. His wings cackled with electricity as he glided over to a branch near the man, who was too busy staring out into space. Globs of saliva dripped onto the man's shoulder and he flinched at first before taking some of it and rubbing it between his fingers. More saliva dripped onto his shoulder before he looked up to see Ken's open mouth diving towards him. He didn't have enough time to even scream before fangs clamped around his face and squeezed tightly. The cracking of bone and tearing of flesh broke the silence as Ken thrashed around and tore his head up. Blood sprayed in the air like a geyser and splattered against some of the tree and tent before the body crumbled to the ground, a large hole gushed blood profusely.

A noise inside one of the tents made him crawl on all fours and head towards it. He peeked inside to see a male on top of a female, kissing her passionately. This went on for a few minutes before the female suddenly yelped in fright when she saw him on all fours, staring owlishly at the two. It was silent for a minute while he just stared at the two gulped when he suddenly crawled in the tent with them. They backed up when he sat down and continued to stare at them. He hadn't blinked for the past few minutes.

"Look..." She pointed. The male followed her finger and saw the familiar set of wings. There was a reason they were out here, to study the tribe of faunus that had escaped the city months ago, and here they were close to one. Ken's wings opened up and filled the space in the tent before cackling with electricity brightly. The illumination of the electricity was enough to hide his intentions as he suddenly gripped both their necks and started to flood electricity in their bodies. Their nerves were on fire and they tried to pry his hands off but every time they touched him more electricity entered their bodies and fried their nerves.

From an outside perspective, his wings stretched out while the two of them convulsed violently while his tail whipped around wildly in excitement. A few minutes later and the couple was dead in their tent, bodies charred and twitching violently every once in a while. There was rustling in the last two tents and a feral grin popped up on his face before he stalked into one of them.

A missing persons report of a family of four and their friend would pop up on the news in the future after tonight.

* * *

It took almost a day and a half to find Ken where he killed that family. It was hard because he barely left a scent or a trail to follow and only through his gut did he find his little brother. Sistine and Michelle were rather pissed at him for shouting those hurtful things to his brother while Arachne was on the same boat as them. He took Sistine, Arachne, Rei, and Frost with him to help look. They weren't really prepared for what they saw when they found him.

There he was in the middle of what looked like a horror movie aftermath. A corpse on the ground with a rather vicious bite wound that took the face, two bodies inside a tent, and two more mutilated nearby. Both of the kids were teenagers at latest but had body parts missing. They could see him biting into something and the girls froze when they saw one of the arms from the teenagers in his arms. His teeth tore into the appendage and ripped some flesh, it stretched a bit before suddenly ripping off and he slurped it into his mouth before diving back into it. His tail whipped around back and forth wildly as he dug his teeth into the meat more.

Ares walked behind his little brother and touched his shoulder, his eyes widening when he saw his eyes. Ken's eyes were black and red. There were cracks around his eyes that pulsated a malevolent purple and red. He didn't seem to notice any of them and only focused on his meal some more. Most of the flesh was gone and he tossed the half eaten arm away before grabbing a leg and sunk his teeth into it.

 **"Ken."** Rei said. She flinched when he looked at her before turning back to the leg and ate some more. Nobody knew what was wrong with him, he was more feral and violent by the looks of it and he completely disregarded the fact that he killed an entire family. Granted, they were still on monster territory but they weren't even remotely close to the village so it didn't bother them too much. What bothered them was that he was killing without a reason.

Ken only killed someone if they were a threat, these people weren't a threat. They were innocent despite one of them having a gun.

After a while he finished the leg off and sighed in relief, he had been rather hungry and these people were the only source of food nearby so it made sense that he at least did something with their bodies. He turned to see Ares talking to him but his voice was drowned out, so all he could do was blink owlishly at him. The only thing he caught was that they were going home now and that it would be a long walk. He saw Frost and Rei jump on Ares' back but he just walked next to everyone. There was a bunny that was injured and they were about to leave it alone for its fate but stopped when he took his knife and began to skin it alive, ignoring its squeals of agony. The bad thing was that he didn't even do anything with it, just tossed it over his shoulder and continued to walk.

This was the thing that worried everyone, he was never this violent. Ares told him to stop and he did but not before killing another animal and leaving its corpse to bleed out in the snow. He was extremely volatile now and the smallest thing set him off into a violent frenzy; a bird chirped and he threw a knife into it, a deer looked at him and he threw banshee mines at it until its corpse was nothing but a steamy pile of flesh. He didn't even take their skulls as trophies anymore.

The trip back to the village took several long hours of silence and they arrived around midday. Once he got into the cave he grabbed some more supplies then quickly left again, he went to Mathias' hut for his missed lessons and stayed there for a while. Every time one of the royal children tried to hang out with him he just replied in an emotionless tone that he was busy. Rei and Frost tried to hang out with him but were cut off when he went to the back of the cave and began making weapons.

He made so many serrated knives and spears that it began to pile up behind him. A mass sat next to him but he didn't notice since he was working on a club, a cough shook him from his stupor and made him drag the carving knife too much and cut too much off from the handle. He flew into a blind rage and threw the club against the wall before flipping the table and throwing pots against the ground while giving out snarls and growls. His eyes caught sight of who coughed and his gaze fell on Mimi, who was practically vibrating with fear when he black and red eyes stared into her.

 **"What?"** He snarled.

 **"I-I-I was just w-wondering if you'd like some h-help."** She shook fearfully.

 **"No! I was doing just fine until you showed up! Get lost!"** He shouted. His eyes started to glow more as he peered into her shrunken ones before he sat down angrily. She didn't want to anger him more and shuffled out of the cave with tears in her eyes. The bracelet on his wrist was ripped off and torn apart before being thrown onto the ground, scattering it all across. His mood turned worse than what it already was and he climbed onto his top bunk then covered himself head to toe in his blanket.

Something woke up inside of him and it wasn't good either. He had the sudden urge to kill everything. Rage of murder were the only things on his mind and he needed something to kill in the next day or he'd lose it.

* * *

Everyone could see that Ken's condition was growing more and more violent as days passed on. Ares saw it the most though. He pushed all his pride down and started spending time with his brother more but there was a cost. There was something wrong with his little brother and it concerned him greatly, predators were easily killed and he could see the boredom in his eyes. He wanted more of a challenge. Those normal glowing blue eyes that he always enjoyed seeing were gone and replaced with red and black like his mother's. His jovial personality was replaced with a crude and bitter one, and his love for exploring was switched for his desire to kill everything he deemed a threat or was a challenge.

Ken was changing... not in the way everyone wanted though.

 **"Ares... I'm worried about him."** Sistine lightly bit the joint on her index finger as she and him watched Ken spar with the Corpse-Eater.

 **"I am too. He's growing more and more violent as the days pass."** He sighed, only to wince a bit later when a barbed tail impacted his brother's stomach and made him cough up saliva and blood.

 **"Do you think it has something to do with the argument?"** She asked.

 **"Could be. Could be because he drank some of the black sludge from a Grimm pool with Rei and I."** He shrugged. She saw him clench his fists when he said that. That could be the reason but every time someone tried to talk to him or corner him, he got aggressive and lashed out violently. Frost tried to confront him one day and made the mistake of backing him into a corner; she suffered from a minor concussion and numerous claw marks on her body.

Both looked up to see him land on all fours before straightening his wings. Everyone thought that he was going to perform a lighting strike but widened their eyes when he suddenly shot forward, air kicking up behind him. The Corpse-Eater crossed his arms in an x formation as Ken flipped forward and slammed his tail against his arms, throwing the older monster back. He tried to do it a second time but the Corpse-Eater moved out of the way the threw an open palm up and hit him in the stomach. Ken's cheeks puffed up for a second before a glob of spit flew out of his mouth and he landed on the ground, clutching his stomach in pain.

As he was getting up, a drum signaled that their sparring session was at an end.

 **"You did exceptionally well, little one."** The Corpse-Eater complimented. He saw Ken slam his fist against the ground and storm off, snarling at anyone who got in his way as he made his way towards the cave. He sighed then walked up to Ares and Sistine.

 **"He's-"** She couldn't find the words.

 **"He holds the spirit of a berserker. I've seen monsters hold this much anger on my time on Shear but him..."** He trailed off.

 **"I don't know, either. I know it has something to do with our argument a few days ago but he's never been this angry."** Ares said.

That wasn't the only thing, he was worried because Ken used to always enjoy being around others but now... he said he'd rather die alone than spend time with anyone, he even went as far as telling Rei to leave him alone or he'd kill her. There are even times when he'd sleep outside in the cold than spend more time in the warm cave. There was something was wrong with him and it wasn't going to be resolved any time soon.

Dark times were coming.

* * *

 **I'm not going to lie to you guys and say I don't expect this chapter to be any good but goddamn, it feels good to actually get this uploaded. I'm not looking for any of you to be like, "Holy shit, this chapter is 10/10" because that would only get my hopes up. There are a lot of plot holes in this chapter, I already know, but I needed to get this out because it's been on my mind for the past four months. I just needed to get this out before school starts to really lay the smack down on me. Nothing more needs to be said at the moment other than review times.**

 **Specter343: I would say about the mix breed between monsters, no. Humans though... there might be a small chance that a human and a monster could produce a half breed.**

 **HAIL KING DELIRIOUS: One of them will soon meet their end, just the matter of which one.**

 **skeletalpheo: I try not to make my characters flat and thank you. I'll try to keep your expectations.**

 **mteran305: Here it is.**

 **hornig3: Huh, what a coincidence.**

 **pedrofaria339: I did use it as inspiration, yes. I'm not going to lie and say that I thought of it all on my own.**

 **Silverfox72: Here's another chapter.**

 **Th3DoomSlay3r: Yeah, it broke around that time but I got it fixed. As for the story updates, it's kind of random, and as you can see I'm too busy with school to actually upload like how I want to. Work is also another reason.**

 **Imperial Germany: It's updated. And another chapter should be rolling in around this weekend or next week.**

 **kimiko 4: Yeah, I'm still kicking so that's good.**

 **Godzilla: Thank you.**

 **NightHawk The Warrior: It is. As for the huntsmen and huntresses, I'll try to beef them up a bit, I'm not very good at fight scenes as you can tell but I have been improving a bit so there's that. As for SSSN, yes they'll show up.**

 **Mechasonic: There are subspecies. Mathias is an Elder Kraken so yes.**

 **jaalco: I dunno, I'll probably have them included in the future but no guarantees. I'm trying not to add too many characters.**

 **If you've stuck around for this long then thank you for sticking around, if not... oh well. I'm not asking for you guys to enjoy all my chapters like they were the greatest thing but at least show some respect and not bash on them. I literally go out of my way to bring you at least a decent chapter in a story so the least you can do is show some respect and not bash on it. If you don't like then don't read it, there are millions of stories on this site.**

 **Don't have much to say other than thank you and have a good day, everyone.**


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